Luxembourg and Bulgaria in trouble with the defense directive

(B2) The European Commission intervened “to ensure that two Member States (Bulgaria and Luxembourg) comply with their obligations to implement EU rules for public procurement in the field of defense says a press release from the European institution published today (March 21). It sent them a reasoned opinion, the last formal step before referral to the Court of Justice of the EU. The Commission " deplores » that these two Member States do not respect « their commitments under Directive 2009/81 on public defense contracts. " If the Directive is not fully implemented in all Member States, companies and taxpayers cannot benefit from easier access to a transparent and open, and therefore more competitive, market in the defense sector. » The rules in question should have been implemented no later than August 20, 2011.