Monday March 20. At the interministerial meeting of European Union member states, a group of 17 countries, including France and Germany, agree on a joint project to purchase 155 millimeter ammunition led by the European Agency for defense (AED). This group purchase aims both to meet the “emergency” of the Ukrainian need for land and artillery ammunition, but also to support the long-term defense production of “European industry”. As explained in early April the specialized media Euroactiva billion euros have been released in this direction to support the country led by Volodymyr Zelensky.
Almost a month later, the case is dragging on. And these delays annoy kyiv. The Member States are struggling to agree on the contours of the implementation of such a political agreement. The consensus around the idea of turning to “the European defense industry”, as mentioned to support the armament of the continent, remains unclear. Should Member States exclusively award ammunition purchase contracts to EU companies or do they consider opening up the order book to manufacturers from third countries, such as Norway? The question remains unanswered and two visions clash.
Future of European Defense
On the one hand, in the wake of France, several countries such as Cyprus and Greece are calling for maximum use of “Made in Europe”, in a pan-European economic vision. Others, bringing together the Baltic countries and Poland, push to be less careful about the origin of ammunition in order to favor the speed of deliveries to kyiv.
In addition, the services responsible for these issues in Brussels have pointed out to the governments a potential flaw in the text of the agreement. The term “European industry” could lead companies not registered in the EU area to invoke unfair competition. A debate has also begun on the subject of subcontracting. Should the production chain be 100% European, which would amount, for example, to eliminating all ammunition whose powders are of South African origin? The question divides. In the absence of an agreement, the subject could be invited to the meeting of foreign ministers, this Monday, April 24, in Luxembourg, explains the Belgian daily The Free. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba will participate by videoconference.
What inspired him this formula: “The inability of the EU to implement its own decision on the joint purchase of ammunition for Ukraine is frustrating. It is a test to know if the EU has strategic autonomy to take crucial new security decisions. For Ukraine, the cost of inaction is measured in lives,” he tweeted.
Beyond the aspect raised by the Ukrainian politician, there is also the question of Europe’s ability to respond to such a production challenge. The Commission has identified fifteen EU-stamped companies that manufacture 155mm shells. The first orders should take place by September.