The allocation of EUR 500 million to 2 million of artillery each year by the end of 2025 in order to increase the production capacity of the European defence industry, announced today (15.3.2024) h, The European Commission announced that it would be allocated EUR 2 billion in total to strengthen the defence industry, within various defence programmes that exist, such as the framework of the act to support the production of ammunition (ASAP), the instrument to strengthen the European defence industry through joint procurement (EDIRPA) and the fourth annual work programme of the European Defence Fund (EDIRF). In order to achieve an increase in ammunition production to 2 million by the end of 2025, the Commission selected 31 projects in the EU and Norway to help European industry. These projects cover five areas: explosives, gunpowder, missiles, missiles and testing and rehabilitation certification. The projects will be financed with EUR 500 million from the EU budget and this funding will leverage additional investment from industry through cofinancing, resulting in total investments of around EUR 1.4 billion in the supply chain. The Commission notes that thanks to the measures already taken, the annual European production capacity for 155 mm missiles needed by Ukraine had already reached 1 million annually in January 2024. The goal of obtaining a million shells from the EU in Ukraine, by the end of March 2024 was not achieved, but EU member states commit that this target will be achieved by the end of the year.
European Commission: EUR 500 million to increase the production of munitions
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