On Thursday, this week European Parliament approved plans to increase production of ammunition and missiles in the EU to deal with current shortages.
According to the text agreed with the Council last week, the Ammunition Support Act (ASAP) aims to speed up the delivery of ammunition and missiles to Ukraine and help member states rebuild their arsenals.
By introducing targeted measures, including €500 million in funding, ASAP aims to increase the EU's production capacity to address current shortages of defense products, in particular artillery ammunition, missiles and their components. During negotiations with the Council, MEPs ensured that a more diverse range of projects received funding and that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) would be eligible for a higher rate of funding. They ensure that new funding should not come at the expense of existing cohesion funding.
MEPs are calling for a guarantee that EU countries will provide Ukraine with the ammunition funded under this legislation without it being subject to export restrictions. Quote Head of the EP negotiating team, Christian Bushoi (EPP, Romania), said: "Today's vote marks another step forward for Europe's security and defense and for our unwavering support for Ukraine in the face of continued Russian aggression. We have completed the most urgent aspect of the law: providing more ammunition to Ukraine. This is proof of Europe's solidarity and our collective security." Next steps The legislation was passed with 505 votes in favour, XX56X votes against and 21 abstentions. It now also needs to be approved by the EU Council to become law. The Ammunition Support Background Act (ASAP) comes in response to Ukraine's request to the EU for the supply of 155 mm artillery shells and the Council's agreement of 20 March 2023 on the three-pronged approach in the field of ammunition.
Member States were invited to urgently transfer ammunition from their own stockpiles to Ukraine (line 1). The EU countries agreed to jointly purchase one million shells (2nd strand). The 3rd strand aims to increase production capacity in the European defense industry. This should be achieved through ASAP, which responds directly to the Council's call for the urgent delivery of ammunition and on-demand missiles to Ukraine and to help Member States restore their supplies.