The Foreign and Defense ministers of the Twenty-seven have given the green light this Monday to the plan designed by Josep Borrell which aims to supply Ukraine with up to one million artillery shells within a year. To achieve this, the EU will mobilize 2,000 million additional euros of its budget, specifically the European Fund for Peace.
The goal of this initiative is to help the government of Volodimir Zelenski to resist a possible offensive of spring by the Kremlin and to reconquer the territories occupied by the Russian troops. Borrell maintains that the next few weeks will be decisive for the outcome of the war. At the same time, EU leaders want to send a strong signal to the industry to produce more ammunition.
“A Historic Decision”has written the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy on his Twitter account. “There are still many details to be resolved.But for me the most important thing is to conclude the negotiations. This shows one thing: when there is a will to do something, a way is found,” he explained. Hanno Pevkur, Minister of Defense of Estonia, the country from which the idea originated.
[Alemania se desmarca del plan de Borrell de compra conjunta de munición para ayudar a Ucrania]
Borrell’s plan is based on three pillars that he maintains are “complementary” and must be executed “in parallel.” The most immediate thing is that the European governments urgently send to Ukraine the howitzers they still have in their arsenals, either Western or Soviet. The deadline set is May 31.
To push the capitals, the EU will mobilize a tranche of 1,000 million of euros of your Peace Support Fund, in order to cover between 50% and 60% of the cost. The problem is that stocks are already out of stock or at the limit in most countries (with few exceptions like Greece). “We were not prepared for this war of attrition, the expectation was that if there was a war, it would be short and high-tech,” admits a diplomat.
A historic decision.
Following my proposal, Member States agreed to deliver 1 mio rounds of artillery ammunition within the next 12 months.
We have a 3 track approach:
1) €1bn for immediate delivery
2) €1bn for joint procurement
3) commission to ramp up production capacity pic.twitter.com/CCNOaxE4bk— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) March 20, 2023
Second, Borrell wants to launch a massive joint purchase program for ammunition of 155 caliber artillery, adding the war needs of Ukraine and the replenishment of stocks of the Member States. A program that will also feature a European financing of 1,000 million euros. Your plan contemplates two options: either make the purchase centrally through the European Defense Agency (AED), or through coalitions of at least three countries.
A total of 18 countries (among which Spain is not) have announced that they are joining the project of the European Defense Agency (EDA). These are Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden and Norway. The initiative is open to any other Member State that wishes to join in the future.
The twist of Germany
The head of Spanish diplomacy, Jose Manuel Albares, has said that our country is not on the initial list of the AED because the Ministry of Defense still has to complete a series of procedures, but it will be added in the coming days. “Spain is going to be there and I have made it clear today at the meetingthere are some administrative formalities left”, he explained.
“As always, we prefer to reinforce everything that is European, despite the fact that Spain has a defense industry with high added value”, emphasizes Albares. The European Defense Agency has identified 15 companies from 11 Member States that can manufacture 155 caliber howitzers, including two Spanish ones: Expal and the Granada Ammunition Factory.
At today’s Foreign Affairs Council, the EU foreign ministers have reached an agreement for the supply of material to Ukraine.
Spain’s support for this plan reinforces our commitment to the people and government of Ukraine in their defense of a just peace. pic.twitter.com/qJLPNESZ5F
– José Manuel Albares (@jmalbares) March 20, 2023
To speed up the deadlines, the AED will resort to a negotiated procedure without bidding. The goal is that the first orders are placed at the end of Mayalthough those responsible for the Agency admit that it is a “very ambitious” calendar. The average delivery time is one year., but Borrell is confident that with the joint purchase the times and also the price will be reduced. In fact, the ministers have set a deadline of December 30, 2023.
For its part, Germany (which had initially resisted participating in centralized purchasing) has changed its position and has joined the EDA project. In addition, the Government of Berlin will lead a coalition of countries to negotiate with the German arms industryin which the Netherlands and Denmark could also participate, according to their Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
“By purchasing together through the framework of the European Defense Agency and mobilizing financial support from the European Fund for Peace, we will supply Ukraine faster and faster. Again we are breaking a taboo and unlocking the potential of EU cooperation in joint procurement”, Borrell celebrated.
The third pillar of Borrell’s plan consists in expanding the production capacity of the European arms industry, using community funds with a model similar to advance purchase contracts with the vaccine against Covid-19. The head of community diplomacy also wants to mobilize the European Investment Bank. There is no concrete decision on this pillar, beyond asking the Ursula von der Leyen Commission to present proposals as soon as possible.
