“European Parliament Urgently Considers Draft Law to Increase Ammunition and Missile Production Capacity in Europe”

On Tuesday, the European Parliament (EP) decided to urgently consider a draft law with the aim of increasing the production capacity of ammunition and missiles in Europe, the press secretary of the EP in Latvia, Jānis Krastiņš, informed LETA agency.

MEPs agreed to start the urgent procedure with 518 votes “for”, 59 votes “against” and 31 abstentions. This will allow the legislation on ammunition production support measures (ASAP), which was submitted by the European Commission on May 3, to be advanced more rapidly.

At the next plenary session, which will be held from May 31 to June 1 in Brussels, the EP will also appoint its negotiators and adopt its position for negotiations on the final version of the draft law. The MPs will then start negotiations with the EU Council to reach a political agreement, which the MPs will vote on in the July plenary session.

The purpose of the Ammunition Support Act (ASAP) is to urgently supply ammunition and missiles to Ukraine and help member states replenish their stockpiles. The act provides a number of targeted measures, including €500 million in funding, to increase EU production capacity and address current shortages of ammunition, missiles and their components.

At the same time, MEPs are also working to strengthen the European defense industry through a joint procurement act (EDIRPA) to support cooperation between Member States at the procurement stage to address key gaps.