ASAP — Act in Support of Ammunition Production
What is it? ASAP is an EU regulation, part of a three-step plan agreed by EU leaders in March 2023 to provide 1 million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine within a year. The longer-term goal is to ramp up ammunition production capacity to 2 million shells annually by the end of 2025.
How much cash? €500 million. The Commission selected 31 projects in 15 countries to receive EU funding; special attention was paid to explosive and propellant powder, one of the main bottlenecks.
Major arms makers such as Germany’s Rheinmetall, France’s Roxel and Thales, Norway’s Nammo and Greece’s Hellenic Defense Systems are getting large slices of the funding, with contracts to be signed in May (our explainer is here).
Is it working? The acronym reflects a sense of urgency, and EU officials cite it as an example of how the EU process can be quick when needed, as the law was agreed within a few months. The goal of ramping up industrial capacity to 2 million shells by 2025 is currently on track, but the bloc missed its original target of sending 1 million rounds to Ukraine by last month.
EDIRPA — European Defence Industry Reinforcement through common Procurement Act
What is it? EDIRPA is an EU regulation agreed last year to address the bloc’s most urgent defense capability gaps by incentivizing countries to procure weapons jointly. Capitals can be partially reimbursed by the EU budget if they buy military equipment within a consortia of at least three member countries.
The European Commission published EDIRPA’s 2024 work program last month as well as calls for proposals on ammunition, on legacy systems and platforms, and on air and missile defense. The deadline to apply is July 25.
