Ukraine desperately needs more ammunition to defend itself against Russia. And in many EU countries, too, the stocks have to be replenished. The EU Commission now wants to help so that new ammunition is produced quickly.
The European armaments industry is to be persuaded to rapidly expand production capacities for ammunition with financial incentives running into the billions.
According to a proposal presented by the EU Commission, up to 500 million euros are to be made available from the EU budget by mid-2025. According to the plans, a further 500 million euros are to come as co-financing from the member states.
The background to the plans is in particular the difficulties of the EU states in supplying Ukraine with sufficient ammunition for the defensive war against Russia. An expansion of production should now prevent further bottlenecks in the Ukrainian armed forces and also ensure that the EU states remain capable of defending themselves and can keep sufficient supplies.
Production of one million rounds per year
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the plan on Tuesday evening during a meeting with the new Czech President Petr Pavel in Prague. “It’s all about speed, speed, speed,” emphasized von der Leyen.
Now it has been officially presented by EU Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton. Regarding the new funding project, the Frenchman said he was confident that production capacities in Europe could be increased to one million rounds per year within twelve months.
Industry must go war economy exchange
The industrial base for ammunition production in Europe is there and has the potential to meet the needs of Ukraine and member states, he said. But the industrial base must now be revitalized in order to adapt it to the needs of a high-intensity conflict. “When it comes to defense, our industry needs to switch to war economy mode now,” Breton said.
The EU states and the European Parliament must now discuss the EU Commission’s proposal. The commission announced that it was hoping for a speedy adoption before the summer.