The European Commission has decided to allocate €500 million to expand ammunition production in order to increase the capacity of the defense industry. This initiative, announced on March 15, fits into the Ammunition Support Act (ASAP), which will help increase ammunition production to 2 million 155-mm rounds annually by 2025.

The European Commission's press service reported that the evaluation of projects under the ASAP Regulation was completed in record time, and 31 projects were selected to support European industry in increasing ammunition production. Grant agreements are expected to be signed in May 2024.

Currently, the production of 155-mm shells in Europe has reached 1 million per year, thanks to the measures taken earlier.

In addition, the European Commission has launched a program to support the European defense industry through joint procurement (EDIRPA) and the fourth annual program of the European Defense Fund (EDF). Almost €2 billion has been allocated from the EU budget for these programs.

These steps are aimed at strengthening the European defense technology and industrial base, which became possible after the adoption of the first-ever European Defense Industrial Strategy (EDIS) and the related proposal for a European Defense Industrial Program (EDIP).