EU to mandate arms makers to prioritise orders for Ukraine
European Union on Monday put forward a “temporary emergency measure” which will obligate manufacturers of explosives to prioritise the orders of firms producing ammunition for Ukraine.
The Defense News website reported, citing a European Commission spokesperson, that “the Commission’s proposal provides for priority rated orders to help manufacturers.
“For example, with the supply of necessary raw materials where the Commission could ask suppliers to prioritise selling to those manufacturers.’’
The spokesperson was cited as saying, at the moment, the “emergency measure” is getting through the EU’s approval process.
The initiative has already drawn criticism from a number of member states and private companies that fear the Commission will get too much power assuming the role of regulator of the ammunition market, according to the report.
They argue the plan will create conditions for the violation of trade secrets or the disclosure of confidential information.
The unnamed Commission spokesperson allayed these concerns by telling Defense News that “the Commission has long-standing experience in handling such information in the context of other procedures and has the necessary safeguards in place”.
In early May, the Commission announced it would allocate 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) for the production of ammunition for Ukraine.
The EU plans to spend another 500 million euros on expanding the production of shells in Europe.
Sputnik/NAN
