The Scandinavian country has just bought an old factory, it hopes to attract private arms companies to contribute to the war effort in Ukraine, while the decline in Western munitions reserves worries Europeans.
1 min
With our correspondent in Stockholm, Carlotta Morteo
Since 2020, Denmark no longer produces ammunition. Until then, there was only one factory in the country, in the north of the Jutland peninsula, and it was under the control of a Spanish arms group which did not succeed in a decade to absorb its deficits. But with the war in Ukraine, the situation has changed drastically.
The current situation is judged “ critical » by the Danish Minister of Defense Troels Lund Poulsen, who therefore announced the purchase of this historic site – made up of 50 buildings over 18,000 square kilometers – to relaunch the manufacture of munitions as quickly as possible.
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Half-empty European stocks
When, how, in what quantity? These questions remain unanswered for the moment, but experts estimate that it will take at least two years to re-establish the production line.
What is certain, and this has been reiterated in recent weeks, notably during a meeting of NATO chiefs of staff, is that the Alliance does not have enough ammunition, European stocks are half empty, the needs are enormous, delivery times are too long and prices are rising sharply.
Denmark, which has already sent more than two billion euros of military equipment to Kiev and spends almost lavishly on its own army, is in any case sending yet another signal of its unwavering support for Ukraine, which draws between 2,000 and 3,000 shells per day.