- British defence companies to benefit from closer cooperation
on exports with our European allies France, Germany and Spain.
- Agreement will make it easier for businesses to export to our
allies and highlights the UK's role in supporting Europe's
collective defence.
- Comes after huge export deals with Norway and Türkiye,
securing thousands of jobs and making defence an engine for
growth.
Britain's defence industry will be strengthened as the UK joins a
European defence export treaty alongside our NATO allies.
The Agreement on Defence Export Controls, which the UK has joined
alongside France, Germany and Spain, will make it easier to grant
export licenses between our nations, reinforcing the UK's close
cooperation with its European allies on developing the
continent's defence industries.
The UK is committed to reinforcing its leading role in NATO and
defending Europe's security, including through boosting defence
trade and industrial cooperation with our allies.
This will reduce the administrative burden of granting export
licenses, opening opportunities for UK businesses, helping boost
economic growth and supporting high-skilled jobs across the
country.
Joining the Agreement will facilitate the UK's defence
cooperation with some of our closest European partners and will
ensure better coordination on defence exports to other
countries.
It will provide more certainty for British businesses and supply
chains involved in multinational defence programmes, whilst
preserving UK sovereignty over key military capabilities.
The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) outlined the ambition to see
the UK become Europe's leading defence exporter, bolstering our
prosperity and security.
MP, Minister for Defence
Readiness and Industry, said:
The UK's defence industry is essential to ensuring that our Armed
Forces can keep us secure at home and strong abroad. This
agreement will strengthen our crucial defence businesses and make
it easier to export to Germany, France and Spain.
On the back of our frigate deal with Norway and Typhoon deal with
Türkiye this new Treaty will make it easier for the UK to export
our world class platforms. When the government said we would make
defence an engine for growth we meant it, and this Treaty is yet
more evidence of us delivering for British jobs and security.
Since the SDR's publication, the UK has already signed agreements
with our NATO allies to export Type 26 frigates to Norway for £10
billion and Typhoon fighter jets to Türkiye for up to £8 billion,
both securing thousands of jobs across the UK.
The government is making defence an engine for growth across the
country including through the Defence Industrial Strategy's
commitments to create a new Office for Defence Exports and
boosting the help available to businesses through UK Export
Finance.
