IL SISTEMA DEGLI APPROVVIGIONAMENTI NEL QUADRO DI DIFESA COMUNE DELL’UNIONE EUROPEA

Defense is a specific area which establishes a central element of the national sovereignty of the Member States. For most of the member states of the European Union (EU), European defense is essentially divided into two fundamental levels: (1) the self-defense capacity of the member states and (2) the collective defense guaranteed by NATO. The EU Treaty underlines the unique nature of the “Common Security and Defense Policy” (CSDP), which enshrines the leading role of the Member States and provides for numerous limitations to the EU's joint action in this area. Until recently the European Union's action in the field of defense, it remains limited and to date there is no European Defense Union. To respond to the challenges posed by the new global context, the EU has launched new initiatives, aimed to enhancing cooperation between Member States. This thesis concerns: (1) the general organization of the common European defense system in the field of procurement; (2) the procurement systems in the field of common European defense with particular regard to the main processes of Preparation, Definition, Development and Procurement in the framework of European defense cooperation. EU initiatives in the field of defense represent the first steps in an area in which the EU has so far, had little experience due to the political divergences of the Member States in this area. Even today, there is a risk that common objectives and adequate collaborative systems have not been set, and that systems are not in place to cope with this increase in EU spending and the new level of ambition envisaged by the EU's global strategy.