Today in Brussels at the Foreign Affairs Council, the foreign and defence ministers of the European Union reached agreement on the joint procurement of 1 million 155 mm calibre rounds of ammunition for Ukraine.
According to Estonian Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur, the aim of the initiative from Estonia is to provide Ukraine urgently needed military aid as fast as possible and increase the European defence industry’s manufacturing capabilities. “Above all, Ukraine needs ammunition right now and today we put the clear objective in writing – to send at least 1 million 155 mm calibre rounds of ammunition to Ukraine within the next 12 months,” explained Minister of Defence Pevkur.
The agreement will now be forwarded to the European Council for approval on 23-24 March.
In addition to the political agreement, it now must be ensured that the mechanism chosen for carrying out the joint procurement is capable of meeting the objectives. “Today’s agreement is only the beginning. To see it through, we need consistency and persistence, closer coordination and, of course, additional funding. For that, we fully support the proposal for an additional 3,5 billion euros to the European Peace Facility from Member States,” added Pevkur.
The agreement will be financed through the European Peace Facilty. Its initial capacity was 8 billion euros, however, in December 2022 the EU Member States decided on an additional 2 billion euros to be allocated to the fund. In addition, Member States agreed in December that the facility’s budget will be increased by a maximum of 5,5, billion until the year 2027.
At the sidelines of the ministers’ meeting, 16 Member States, including Estonia, and Norway also signed a framework agreement of the European Defence Agency for the joint procurement of ammunition.
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Photos: Kaitseministeerium | Flickr