Common Procurement in Defence and the Strategic Autonomy of the Union: a first appraisal

This contribution examines common procurement clauses in recent EU funding instruments, the European Defence Industry Reinforcement through Common Procurement Act (EDIRPA) and Security Action for Europe (SAFE), as tools for leveraging 'integration through funding'. The procurement mechanisms set up by these clauses are then compared with other instruments tested in different crises contexts, such as Aggregate EU in the energy sector and the common purchases of vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic, and evaluated with specific reference to the goal of reinforcing the Union’s strategic autonomy, an increasingly challenging matter for the EU. The analysis demonstrates that the Union has designed and tested a variety of tools and instruments in reflection of the market sector considered and the economic and strategic interests vested. A core conclusion emerges about the potential of common procurement clauses to achieve forms of pragmatic federalism and to enhance the fading competitiveness of the European market.