Eighteen countries have signed the project of the European Defense Agency on the joint purchase of one million ammunitions to help Ukraine and replenish the national stockpiles of the member states.
This is stated in the statement of the European Defense Fund dated March 20.
18 countries signed: Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, and Norway.
10 countries did not sign: Hungary, Bulgaria, Spain, Poland, Slovenia, Lithuania, Latvia, Italy, Denmark and Ireland. They expressed their intention to join the initiative soon after completing the national procedures (except for Hungary, which is categorically against it).
The EU says that joint procurement is the best option due to economies of scale, it allows member states to buy ammunition according to their national needs and supports Ukraine. This arrangement is flexible and inclusive in nature, allowing all other member states to join the initiative at a later stage.
- On March 20, EU member states agreed to purchase one million 155 mm ammunition for the Armed Forces over the next 12 months. In the EU, there are three approaches: one billion euros for immediate delivery, one billion euros for joint procurement, and a mandate to increase production capacity.