The European Commission on Wednesday will propose the creation of a financing mechanism to increase the capacity for the production of ammunition in EU member states, so that one million shells per year can be produced to replenish the armed forces of European countries and at the same time provide material assistance to Ukraine.

“I am confident that in 12 months we will be able to increase our production capacity to one million shells per year in Europe,” Industry Commissioner Thierry Breton said on Tuesday.

The proposal is the third step in an action plan, approved by the EU at the end of March, to supply Ukraine with at least one million 155mm projectiles within 12 months and replenish the strategic stocks of European states, some of which are at the limit of their capabilities.

It provides funding of 500 million euros, 260 million of which will be received from the European Defense Fund. This will co-finance industry investments to increase production at EU factories.

About 15 companies in 11 Member States produce this type of ammunition. However, specific industries “do not currently have the necessary production capacity to meet the needs (…) of Ukraine and our member states. But they can all get it,” said Breton, who visited the facilities of the biggest munitions producers in the EU.

“We can and must revitalize our industrial base to accommodate the needs of high-intensity conflicts,” he explained.

“The current pace makes it impossible to support the military actions of Ukraine, which consumes more (ammunition) than the EU produces,” a representative of a member state told AFP.

The proposal does not address the immediate needs of Ukraine, which is preparing to launch a counteroffensive to retake the territory seized by Russian military forces.

“In order to support Ukraine in the short term, we must continue to use our reserves,” the European Commissioner said.

According to information compiled by AFP, since the address of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on February 9, EU member states have supplied Ukraine with about 40,000 shells and more than a thousand missiles for anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons.

However, this data only refers to requests for compensation submitted by member states and does not reflect the reality of the supply, which is shrouded in military secrecy, he explains.

A fund in the amount of 1 billion euros is provided in the form of compensation for ammunition withdrawn from the stocks of the armies of member states.

A second fund of one billion euros will be used to co-finance the joint purchase of 155mm projectiles destined for Ukraine. Orders will be placed in September for businesses manufacturing in the EU and Norway.

The amounts to be provided are intended to give the European Union autonomy in the production of munitions and enable its industry to meet the needs of high-intensity conflicts such as the one in Ukraine. “As far as defense is concerned, our industry must now move into a war economy regime,” insisted Thierry Breton.

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said yesterday during a meeting with the President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel in Prague – the new President, General His Excellency, who had just returned from a visit to Ukraine – that the problem is primarily the “speed” of production, repeating this word three times .

The proposal of the Commission is subject to the approval of the European Council and the European Parliament.

Source: RES-IPE