On Thursday 13 April, the Council of the European Union formally adopted the measure to mobilise €1 billion under the European Peace Facility (EPF) for the urgent delivery of artillery ammunition to Ukraine (see EUROPE 13145/1).
The EPF will reimburse Member States for ammunition they deliver to the Ukrainian armed forces from their existing stocks or for redirecting orders placed between 9 February and 31 May this year.
“With today’s decision, we operationalise the first part of the historic agreement reached by EU leaders to support the immediate delivery of €1 billion worth of artillery ammunition” to Ukraine, said the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, for whom “there is no better demonstration of the EU’s united resolve and determination to continue supporting Ukraine’s legitimate right of self-defence against the brutal Russian aggressor”.
The decision adopted on Thursday endorses the first part of the three-stage agreement on the delivery of ammunition to Ukraine. The second phase, also with €1 billion from the EPF, will aim at joint procurement, potentially through the European Defence Agency, of ammunition such as 155 mm shells. Discussions between Member States on this point are ongoing, notably on whether to place orders with non-European manufacturers, said a European source who was hoping for a rapid solution.
Under the third aspect, the European Commission is to make proposals to stimulate an increase in the production capacity of EU-based defence industries.
In total, the EPF has been called upon to provide €4.6 billion for Ukraine. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)