Look for the 27-member European Union to make major headway next year in removing trade barriers to military equipment, based on the momentum gathered in 2008. The approval by the European Parliament on Dec. 16 of a new export licensing system means a broad legislative package on cohering the European defense market is within reach. Moreover, during a European Council meeting on security and defense policy, heads of member states committed themselves to "making the European armaments market more dynamic." A second major element of the arms package has just undergone a final round of negotiations between the stakeholders in the Parliament, commission and council. A compromise on wording the legislation was near completion Dec. 18, says a parliamentary staffer. The legislation is scheduled to be voted on in late January, according to officials at the Parliament.
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