The case of the Frenchman arrested in Bari with three missiles in his van highlights a European short-circuit on arms

Paris. On 9 June, Régis Claude Albert Normand, a 46-year-old French national, had just disembarked in Bari from the Superfast II ferry arriving from Patras, Greece, when the Italian Guardia di Finanza inspected his van, finding inside five logistics containers used for the transport of anti-tank weapon systems. The checks revealed that one of the containers was empty, a second contained an inert training missile, lacking a guidance system, propulsion system and warhead, whilst the other three each contained an Akeron combat missile, manufactured in France by MBDA, the leading European consortium specialising in the design and manufacture of missiles and missile systems for air, land and naval defence (the Italian company Leonardo holds a 25 per cent stake). At the time of his arrest, Normand claimed he had been commissioned by MBDA France to transport the weapons from France to Greece, where the company Altus LSA (MBDA’s Greek partner on the Kerveros, the combat drone resulting from the 2021 Franco-Greek partnership) was due to carry out some repair work. According to his account, at the time of his arrest in Bari, he was therefore taking them back to France and had various documents with him to prove it. However, the judge for preliminary investigations in Bari, Valeria Isabella Valenzi, deemed it necessary to order further checks, due to inconsistencies in the documentation obtained, including differences in the stamps and discrepancies in the dates given. In the pre-trial detention order, the judge also noted that Normand did not possess the authorisations required by Italy for the transport of weapons.

The question that several observers are asking in this case is not only what three Akeron missiles were doing in the van of a French citizen stopped in Bari, but also why a French citizen has been in pre-trial detention in Italy for over two and a half months and the story only came to light yesterday. Today, the first official statement from Normand’s defence team was released: a statement that makes the silence of recent weeks even more intriguing. “The shipment at the centre of the proceedings was fully authorised by the French Ministry of Defence and was destined for a NATO base in Greece,” stated Fabio Schino, the lawyer representing the 46-year-old Frenchman, in a statement. According to the lawyer, the material consisted of “inert models, devoid of any offensive capability”, and MBDA France had provided the “technical and legal documentation” capable of demonstrating the full legality of the operation.

The missiles carried by the Normand were marked with blue stripes, which, according to NATO codes, identify training equipment rather than explosive ordnance. However, an army investigation revealed that the stripes were made of easily removable adhesive tape and that the original markings were yellow and black – colours which identify high-explosive munitions. If this were the case, therefore, the matter might be more a case of authorisations, communications and bureaucratic departments failing to liaise with one another than a case of arms trafficking.

But there are some questions that remain unanswered, particularly regarding France: if the shipment was indeed authorised by the French Ministry of Defence, what happened in the two and a half months since the arrest? Was Paris informed? Did the Quai d’Orsay follow the case? Was consular assistance provided to a French citizen detained in Italy? Were there any contacts between the French and Italian authorities? And what about MBDA France, which, according to the defence, produced the technical and legal documentation confirming the legality of the operation – when was it informed of the seizure?

Il Foglio contacted the Quai d’Orsay to seek comment on the matter and on the treatment of the French citizen who has been detained in Italy since 9 June; in response, the French Foreign Ministry referred the matter to MBDA. The missile manufacturer, which was in turn approached by Agence France-Presse in the early afternoon, declined to comment.

Europe has a single market for almost everything except arms, and this case illustrates this point clearly. A missile manufactured by a European consortium such as MBDA may form part of a supply chain spanning several countries, but its physical transfer remains subject to national rules, licences and controls. A consignment which, according to the defence, had been authorised by the French Ministry of Defence and was bound for a NATO base in Greece, passed through Italy and was seized because the Italian authorities considered there to be sufficient grounds to question its nature and legitimacy.

In Brussels, discussions are taking place on European rearmament, common defence, increased industrial production and greater integration of military capabilities, but the industrial sector still has to contend with twenty-seven separate administrative systems. Weapons are not just any commodities. Rules exist to prevent weapons systems from ending up where they should not. The problem is determining whether this system is compatible with the ambition to build a genuine European defence industry, capable of rapidly moving personnel, components and armaments along supply chains that now constantly cross borders.