Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book looks at the ways in which government, commercial and institutional interests intertwine to shape European Union (EU) defence industrial policy. It argues that while national economic preferences are an essential factor of government interests they only explain part of the dynamic that leads to the development of defence industrial policy at the EU level. The book deals with the notion that EU institutions such as the Council of the EU, the European Commission, and the European Court of Justice, the European Defence Agency and the European Parliament drive forward EU defence industrial cooperation. It shows how the EU’s institutional framework and corpus of law are used by governments to reaffirm their position as the ultimate arbiter and promoter of national economic preferences.