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On December 11th 2025, Notice to Exporters 2025/32 was issued, advising on the UK’s formal Agreement on Defence Export Controls, a defence exports treaty with France, Germany, and Spain, designed to establish a framework to facilitate licensing by promoting closer integration across the contracting parties in the signatory countries.
A policy paper with supporting information was issued on December 10th 2025, detailing the agreement.
The notice advises that the Agreement will reduce the administrative burden of approving licences between the signatory nations, whilst confirming that the Agreement doesn’t affect the UK’s export control regime or the assessment of applications against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria, which were revised in December 2021.
The notice also confirms “that the agreement is designed to promote closer integration of defence industries across the contracting parties and streamline export controls for defence-related products, through six articles which are detailed in the policy paper. A summary of the articles is detailed below.
Article 1 – “Facilitating intergovernmental partnerships, by ensuring no party blocks exports of jointly produced equipment on purely political grounds, where it cannot cite an impact on direct interests or national security.”
Article 2 relates to streamlining and simplifying licensing processes for joint industrial programmes, thereby reducing the risk for exporters in joint defence programmes by enhancing co-operation and consultation in certain circumstances. Further details are provided in Annex 1, Article 2 of the Agreement.
Article 3 references a “de minimis” principle. This term is relevant to the United States Export Administration Regulations when assessing the value of a U.S.-controlled component to determine whether re-export controls apply. Under the Defence Export Controls agreement, a simplified licensing process applies if the value of defence-related components from one or more contracting parties in a final system exported by another party is below 20%. An OGEL will be published in due course to facilitate exports under Article 3 of the agreement. Annex 2, Article 3, provides further details on the “de-minimis principle,” and Annex 3, Article 3, details the goods to which the principle shall not apply.
Article 4 details that the contract parties will create a permanent body to consult on all general issues covered by the agreement in order to resolve differences relating to operational implementation.
Article 5 highlights controls on classified and protected information
Article 6 details the final provisions of the agreement.
A statement was made in Parliament on December 9th 2025 detailing the Agreement on Defence Export Controls, which the Ministry of Defence leads. The Ministry also issued a press statement on the same day.
Notice to Exporters provides regular updates on Export Control Joint Unit communications, including legislation and licensing changes, as well as compound settlements for non-compliance. The list of communications also provides a link to subscribe to future emails.
Practical Export Licensing Controls - Learning Pathway
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Whether at the start of your learning pathway or as a standalone training session, this course will equip you with the necessary knowledge to understand export licensing controls and how they work. Covering essential elements provides a solid foundation for understanding what goods, technology or software could be controlled and reviewing business-relevant areas in more detail.
Focus On: Embargoes, Sanctions and End-Use Controls
This half-day session highlights the importance of understanding embargoes and sanctions, focusing on UK regulations and the growing sanctions on Russia. It reviews current financial sanctions managed by OFSI and the severe consequences of non-compliance, including fines, reputation loss, and criminal charges. The course emphasises the need for exporters to comply with embargoes and sanctions.
Applying for and Using UK Export Licences
This practical session provides the necessary information for applying for individual licences and helps you determine when an open licence is suitable for specific movements or transfers of controlled items. The workshop is designed to instruct participants on using the UK export licensing system.
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