31/01/2024 (Agence Europe) – The European Commissioner for the Defence Industry, Thierry Breton, told a small group of journalists, including EUROPE, on Wednesday 31 January, that the European Commission would be selecting the manufacturers to benefit from the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP) in the coming weeks. “We have received 82 proposals from industry, and in the coming weeks we will select 20 to 30 of these manufacturers to promptly benefit from ASAP”, he announced at the informal meeting of defence ministers. In May 2023, the European Commission proposed to allocate €500 million until 30 June 2025 to support projects to ensure the ramp-up of the European industrial base by working on the expansion or modernisation of existing lines, the creation of new lines or projects to recondition old ammunition (see EUROPE 13174/1). (CG)