The European Parliament gave the green light to the Brussels plan ASAP, which envisages European companies to allocate one billion euros to accelerate the production of ammunition to be sent to Ukraine. The approval came overwhelmingly with 446 votes in favour, 67 against and 112 abstentions. However, all amendments submitted by the Socialists and Democrats group were rejected; some of these were solicited and supported by the Democratic Party delegation, including the one requiring the exclusion of both Pnrr money and Cohesion funds for the purposes of the program.
According to the project presented by the EU manager on 3 May, half of the funds allocated for the plan come directly from the coffers of Brussels, while the remaining 500 million euros, take advantage of both lines of financing if they want to. This sparked a vigorous debate in Italy with the open opposition of the 5 Star Movement (wholly opposed to the plan) as well as the party led by Elly Schlein. but he said yes to the general measure. “Choosing to finance the war economy is a real slap to the diplomatic process: today we are even farther from a ceasefire,” said Tiziana Beghin, head of the pentastellati delegation in the European Parliament, and she simply voted no.
“The urgency of increasing ammunition production becomes apparent when you look at the artillery and ammunition numbers. Ukraine uses about 3,000 rounds per day. Europe’s current annual production capacity is 300,000. These figures and the commitment of member states to deliver one million rounds.” “One year to Kiev shows the obvious need for ASAP” is part of the three-pillar plan, High Representative Joseph Borrell declared by popular German Michael Gahler L’Asap (Ordnance Production Support Act) in the plenary discussion before the vote to support Ukraine, which aims to urgently supply Ukraine with ammunition and missiles and help Member States rebuild and increase their stockpiles.
The funds will mainly serve to increase production capacity and finance the replacement of obsolete ammunition, as well as to promote the priority of shipments to Ukraine over other contracts. Under the proposal, Brussels will identify and continuously monitor the availability of such defense products, their components and the raw materials required to manufacture them. The proposal establishes mechanisms, principles and rules to highlight and address bottlenecks in supply chains and ensure their timely and continuous availability. Financial support in the form of grants will be provided to various actions that contribute to the efforts of the European defense industry to increase production capacity and address identified bottlenecks. Members of the European Parliament will now start negotiations with the Council to reach an agreement to adopt the final text at the July plenary session.
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Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
