The EU on Wednesday presented a proposal to boost ammunition production in Europe to replace depleted stocks as it arms Ukraine in its war against Russia.

The European Commission put forward draft legislation that would pour 500 million euros ($550 million) from the EU budget into increasing ammunition production.

EU internal market commissioner Thierry Breton said he hoped the proposal would become law by the end of next month.

The spending proposal comes as the bloc seeks to supply one million artillery shells to Ukraine over the next 12 months, at a cost of two billion euros.

The plan "will help supply more ammunition for Ukraine to defend its citizens and it will also strengthen our European defence capabilities," commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said.

"We stand by our promise to support Ukraine and its people, for as long as it takes," she said.

Ukraine has been burning through thousands of shells a day and has complained that its troops have had to ration their usage due to shortages.

The European Union is stepping up in a three-pronged strategy.

Member states are delivering more to Ukraine from existing stocks, with up to one billion euros of the cost covered from an EU fund called the European Peace Facility (EPF).

The bloc is also looking to jointly procure more ammunition for Ukraine, paid for by another one billion euros in EPF money.

Wednesday's plan to ramp up ammunition production in Europe is the third prong, which comes from different funding.

The draft legislation, called the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP), proposes tapping the EU's European Defence Fund and other budget lines.

Breton said that, along with "co-financing" by EU member states, the overall European bump-up in ammunition production would amount to "at least one billion" euros.

He said he was touring all of Europe's defence production sites to find ways to cut a timeline of "maybe two years, three years… to 12 months" as the plan tries to turn around decades of underinvestment.

The urgency was to "mobilise member states so that they will be comfortable giving their stocks immediately" with confidence that they would be replenished by the boosted production, Breton said.

The EU cash would go towards financing new production lines for howitzer shells and missiles, stepping up gunpowder output and refitting old ammunition.

Diplomats from some EU countries have expressed doubts over Europe's capabilities to produce enough ammunition, but Breton and other officials in Brussels insisted it can reach the target.

EU targets 1 million shells a year as Ukraine saps ammo
Brussels (AFP) May 2, 2023 –

The EU will put forward a plan to boost its production capacity of artillery shells to one million a year, officials said Tuesday, as it scrambles to arm Ukraine and refill its own stocks.

After decades of underinvestment, Europe's defence industry is struggling to adapt to a surge in demand sparked by Russia's war on its pro-Western neighbour.

The plan from the European Commission — to be unveiled Wednesday — proposes using 500 million euros ($550 million) from the EU budget to bolster ammunition production in the bloc.

"When it comes to defence, our industry must now switch to war economy mode," said EU internal market commissioner Thierry Breton.

"I am confident that within 12 months we will be able to increase our production capacity to one million rounds per year in Europe."

The EU cash would go towards financing new production lines for howitzer shells and missiles, stepping up gunpowder output and refitting old ammunition.

Brussels says the money would provide around 50 percent of financing for selected projects and member states would have to come up with the other half of the cash.

That would take the overall value of the plan to 1 billion euros.

– 'Unprecedented' –

"The act we are proposing is unprecedented. It aims to directly support, with EU money, the ramp-up of our defence industry for Ukraine and for our own security," Breton said.

He said European industry "does not have the scale today to meet the security needs of Ukraine and our member states. But it has the potential to do so".

The proposal Wednesday is the final plank in the EU's ambitious plans to help give Kyiv the firepower it needs to overcome the Kremlin's forces.

Ukraine has been burning through thousands of shells a day and has complained that its troops have had to ration their usage due to shortages.

The EU has already pledged to spend 2 billion euros on providing Ukraine one million artillery shells over the next year by raiding stockpiles and placing joint orders.

Officials hope the 500-million-euro plan will convince industry to start spending on new facilities and give EU states the confidence to send more of their current stocks to Ukraine.

Over the coming years that would allow Europe to keep refilling its own shelves and maintain support for Ukraine.

Breton has been touring arms factories around the EU trying to gauge their capacity to bolster production.

Diplomats from some EU countries have expressed doubts over Europe's capabilities to produce enough ammunition, but officials in Brussels insist it can reach the target.

More ammo for Ukraine in new $300 mn US aid package
Washington (AFP) May 3, 2023 –

The United States on Wednesday announced a new $300 million military aid package for Ukraine that features a slew of ammunition ahead of a planned offensive against invading Russian forces.

The package "includes additional ammunition for US-provided HIMARS (rocket launchers), additional howitzers, artillery and mortar rounds, and anti-armor capabilities that Ukraine is using to push back against Russia's unprovoked war of aggression," the Defense Department said in a statement.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre cited "extensive work by the US government over the past few months to fulfill Ukraine's request ahead of its planned counter-offensive."

The United States has provided more than $35.7 billion in security assistance for Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in late February 2022.