EU to increase artillery shell production to 2 million in 2025 – European commissioner for defence

Around 2 million artillery shells are expected to be produced in European Union countries in 2025.

Source: Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defence and Space, in a comment to the Ukrainian public broadcaster hromadske

Details: Kubilius said only 20–25% of the weapons supplied to Ukraine are currently produced within the EU, while the majority is purchased from abroad. He emphasised that increasing production requires securing long-term contracts with weapon manufacturers, which are currently lacking. Europe will be unable to significantly boost the production of weapons and ammunition for Ukraine in the coming years without such agreements.

Quote: "EU budget funds cannot be used to purchase weapons for Ukraine. There are several restrictions on investing in defence industries outside the EU. However, funds from the European Peace Facility or the proceeds from frozen Russian assets can be used to procure arms."

Details: Meanwhile, Kubilius stated that Ukraine will receive about €30 billion from the EU in 2025 and will independently decide how much of these funds to allocate for defence purposes. He added that a new mechanism is being introduced to integrate Ukraine's defence industrial base into the European defence industry.

Background:

• The position of European Commissioner for Defence and Space in the new European Commission, which began work on 1 December, was created for the first time in response to the worsening global security situation and Russia's increasing aggression.
• Andrius Kubilius previously stated that Europe must be prepared for any military aggression and explained why it is important to integrate the Ukrainian defence industrial base into the European one.

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