What Are the Main Drivers of Member States’ Defence Procurement Practices? The Italian Case

Italy traditionally balances national and international procurement programmes, and increasingly favours the latter – particularly in the air, naval and space sectors. To better understand Italian procurement practices, also with regards to different formats or bodies, five drivers are particularly important: chronic budgetary constraints; strong actorness of the single services; external factors at NATO, EU and bilateral levels; the different roles played by Ministers of Defence over time; the impact of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine.