Norway confirms implementation of EU procurement directive 'within months'

The Norwegian government has confirmed it will amend national legislation "within months" to meet the demands of Europe's market-changing defence procurement directive, although Oslo added that current local procurement conditions will continue to apply in the interim and that it will continue to attach offset demands to acquisitions.

Confirmation from Oslo came just over 12 months after the European Defence Procurement Directive (2009/81/EC) took effect in the EU, forcing member states to transpose the directive into national law and abide by its conditions by an August 2011 deadline.

Norway sits outside the European Union (EU), although Oslo has sought to align its defence industries with those of the EU through membership of the European Defence Agency (EDA) and adhere to EDA codes of conduct in areas such as procurement and offset policies. Norway was not, unlike its EU neighbours, obliged to transpose 2009/81/EC.

A spokesman for the Norwegian Ministry of Defence (MoD) told IHS Jane's : "Norway is implementing EU Directive 2009/81/EC on defence and security procurement. We find the directive to serve as an important tool to open the European defence market. We expect the directive to be implemented in Norway within months."