After their foreign affairs counterparts on Monday 22 May (see other news), the European defence ministers will meet in Brussels on Tuesday 23 May to discuss military support for Ukraine.
In this context, they could revisit the three-step approach to the supply of ammunition to Ukraine and, in particular, the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (the third step), presented by the European Commission on 3 May (see EUROPE 13174/1).
The EU Council is also expected to discuss the EU’s Ukrainian army training mission (EUMAM), which has already trained more than 17,000 Ukrainian soldiers.
The Ministers are also expected to discuss a further increase in the funds of the European Peace Facility by €3.5 billion, both to finance Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions and to assist Ukraine and third country partners (see EUROPE 13141/29).
Ministers are expected to return to the EU’s CSDP missions, including the latest ones in Armenia, Moldova and Niger. They could also discuss the implementation of the Strategic Compass, including the establishment of the Rapid Deployment Capability, in connection with the evacuation of EU nationals from Sudan.
In addition, the EU Council will be informed about the adoption of conclusions on the new civilian CSDP pact, on cyber security and on new projects of the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) by their foreign affairs counterparts the day before.
The ministers will then have lunch with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to discuss cooperation between the EU and the Alliance. These could include hybrid threats, cyber security, space, maritime strategy and the EU/NATO Critical Infrastructure Working Group (see EUROPE 13143/34).
On Tuesday morning, prior to the EU Council, the Defence Ministers will participate in the Steering Board of the European Defence Agency. The meeting will focus on the application of the lessons learned from the war in Ukraine in terms of capabilities.
The Ministers could also discuss the award of the common market on ammunition in the framework of the European Defence Agency. According to a senior official, the tender documents are being finalised and the aim is to have a framework contract in place so that Member States can start placing orders by early July. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant, with Léa Marchal and Thomas Mangin)