Press release – Franco-German Agreement on Defence export controls (14 November 2019)

A Franco-German agreement on export controls in the field of defence was signed on 23 October 2019 and published in the Official Journal of the French Republic on 14 November 2019.

This agreement is fully in accordance with the implementation of the Treaty of Aachen, whereby France and Germany agreed to draw up a common position on arms exports with regard to joint projects.

This new agreement is more generally in line with the shared desire of France and Germany to step up joint defence programmes and foster the closest possible cooperation between their defence industries, on the basis of mutual confidence.
The two governments have held intensive exchanges in recent months to reach a consensual, legally binding, stable and long-term solution.

This agreement sets down the rules and procedures for export controls on defence products in three cases: intergovernmental programmes, industrial cooperation and products for integration that are developed outside such cooperation. It also includes a more specific “de minimis” rule to facilitate transfers of items from one manufacturer to another, applicable below a threshold of 20% and accompanied by simplified licence issuance methods.
France and Germany will work in the coming weeks on the effective implementation of this tool, in close liaison with French and German companies.