Several studies have shown that norms of arms export control in Europe do not produce the expected results. To go beyond the economic and political explanations as to why norms of export control sometimes fail, I propose to use tools developed by public policy analysis. Of the three possible levels of analysis - ideas, interests and institutions - I will focus on institutions to understand how export promotion actors can interfere in the export control process, and conversely. This will be exemplified through 2 case studies: the cancelled reform to separate export promotion and control functions within the French ministry of Defence; and the role of the Swedish export control agency in the work of the newly-created export promotion agency. In both cases, the issue at stake is the independence of export control decision-making.
