Certification in Times of Crisis: Mutual Recognition under EDIP Article 69
ow Regulation (EU) 2025/2643 operationalises cross-border certification during security-related supply crises
The central question confronting European defence policy is whether administrative law can keep pace with high-intensity security dynamics. Modern conflicts evolve in compressed cycles, where technological adaptation and rapid deployment determine operational relevance. Yet certification regimes within the European Union have traditionally been nationally segmented, sequential, and procedurally dense. This structural mismatch between strategic urgency and administrative rhythm creates friction at precisely the moment when cohesion is most required. The European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP), established by Regulation (EU) 2025/2643, seeks to address that tension through targeted crisis instruments. Among these, Article 69 introduces a mutual recognition mechanism designed to prevent certification bottlenecks during security-related supply crises. The provision does not attempt to permanently harmonise national systems. Instead, it activates a coordinated procedural alignment under defined emergency conditions. By temporarily transforming a national certification decision into a Union-wide administrative fact, Article 69 reframes certification as a collective security function. The analysis below examines how this mechanism operates, what it changes, and what it leaves structurally untouched.