Germany Lifts the Exclusion of Defence Trade Fairs from Its Federal Foreign Trade Fair Programme, with at Least 16 Events in 2026

Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs has lifted the rule, valid until 2025, that excluded defence trade fairs from the federal foreign trade fair programme known as the Auslandsmesseprogramm or AMP. The subject takes shape in the programme for the first time in 2026, covering at least 16 events, which opens federal trade fair support to German security and defence companies exhibiting abroad. In parallel, the Federal Association of the German Security and Defence Industry (BDSV) joined AUMA as a new member in 2026. On the domestic market, around a dozen new trade fairs devoted to defence and security have been created in Germany since 2022, alongside adjacent fields such as fire protection, IT security and critical infrastructure, while established events frequently add new sections on these topics. BDSV managing director Roland Haag says such events were traditionally equipment fairs aimed at national and international state customers, and are now gradually opening to suppliers below the first tier.