European Shipbuilding

The predecessor of the current European Union Was called the European Economic Community and they had one big achievement: a free flow of goods, people and services between all their members and thus creating a single European market. That also meant that governments had to open their tenders for this single market.
There was however a notable exception to the single market regulations: it was not applicable when national security was at stake.

In practice that meant that every country would claim national security issues with defence contracts and award the majority of these contracts to companies within its own borders.

Shipyards
This all has resulted in the following in shipbuilding in the EU (+Norway).

Combatants (2000t>)	Combatants (<2000t)	Subs	Amphibious	Carriers	AOR	OPV
10	9	7	9	4	3	5

This is the number of shipyards involved in building specific types of vessels over the past 10 years and vessels currently under construction.
Combining all the data and removing the duplicate yards that have build more than 1 type, it means since 2000 24 different shipyards have been involved in building these naval vessels. The number of (parent) companies that own these yards is 21.

In comparison: since 2001 ships for the US Navy have been build by 6 yards owned by 2 companies.

Vessels
And although some vessels were designed by multiple countries, it still means that Europe has produced 4 classes of 5,500t+ frigates/destroyers:

• Absalon and Ivar Huitfeldt in Denmark
• LCF (Zeven Provinciën), Sachsen (F124), Álvaro de Bazán (F100) in the Netherlands, Germany and Spain
• Horizon (Orrizonte) in France and Italy
• Type 45 in the UK

And while the Absalon may be the odd one out, the Ivar Huitfeldt class that is based on the Absalon has the same AAW role the 3 other classes have.

Radars
In the naval radar business it's 5 companies:

• Thales with the APAR, SMART-L, SMART-s, Herakles and Integrated Masts (Seamaster/Seawatcher/Gatekeeper)
• BAE with its SAMPSON and Artisan 3D
• Saab and their Sea Giraffe
• EADS with the TRS-3D
• SELEX has the S1850 and EMPAR

Of these Thales has the biggest market share and SELEX's S1850 is actually a modified SMART-L.

Conclusion
The cost of the overhead and duplicated efforts that could and should have been avoided in military ship building must run into the billions for all projects combined. Money that would have been well spend on more vessels or capabilities instead.

Although baby steps are taken all the time to come to a single European defence market in the European Union it will take time before this will be realized (if ever).
It would require the lead of the UK and France, because they have -by far- the biggest defence budgets and highest ambitions. Unfortunately they are also the ones fighting for the 'top' spot in Europe and seem not able to work together at all, as can be seen in the withdrawal of the UK from the Horizon project and France from the Eurofighter.
Maybe the construction of the Queen Elizabeth class and the PA2 can be a new starting point.

Because if there is one thing the EEC and EU members must have learned after all these years is that a single market is a requisite for economic growth.

People interrested in a bigger picture about what's wrong with European Defence Policy are highly recommend to read this policy paper from Nick Witney.