EP Backing: EU’s Ammunition and Missile Production Plan to Address Arms Shortage

The EP backed a plan to increase the EU’s ammunition and missile production capacity to address the current arms shortage.

Under legislation agreed last week with the EU Council, the Ammunition Support Act aims to speed up the supply of ammunition and missiles to Ukraine and help member states replenish their stockpiles.

The new law aims to introduce measures, including €500 million in funding, that would increase the EU’s ammunition production capacity and address the current shortage of defense assets, in particular artillery ammunition, missiles and their components.

In negotiations with the Council of the EU, MEPs ensured that more diverse projects would receive funding, and that a higher funding rate would be applied to small and medium-sized companies. The EP also pushed for new funding so that weapons are not financed from existing cohesion funding. Also, the MEPs advocated that the EU member states supply the ammunition financed by this act to Ukraine and that it should not be subject to export restrictions.

The legislation passed with 505 votes in favour, 56 against and 21 abstentions. In order for it to become law, it still needs to be officially adopted by the Council of the EU.

The Ammunition Production Support Act is a response to Ukraine’s request to supply 155 millimeter caliber artillery shells to the EU and the agreement of the EU Council on March 20, 2023 on the “three-pronged approach”, which aims to provide Ukraine with one million rounds of artillery ammunition within the next twelve months

Member States were invited to urgently transfer ammunition from their stockpiles to Ukraine. EU member states have agreed to jointly purchase one million rounds of ammunition. The objective of the third direction is to increase the production capacity of the European defense industry, which should be achieved by the adopted law.

2023-07-13 12:35:00
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