Military interoperability in Europe is essential to ensure greater effectiveness and independence of European armed forces. Furthermore, it can strengthen the external policies of the European Union and its Member States. In practice, interoperability requires the standardisation and harmonisation of military equipment and standards between EU Member States (MS). The joint procurement of equipment by several MSs is one way of promoting interoperability, while at the same time reducing national expenditure. Economists argue that greater integration in European military procurement brings benefits through economies of scale resulting in the purchase of cheaper, more advanced, more competitive and more widely available equipment (Trybus, 2014: 2). Joint developments also allow MSs to avoid unnecessary duplication of similar devices and ensure the well-being, or even the survival, of European defence industries, and thus of the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) (Hartley, 2003: 107–115).