Act in support of ammunition production (ASAP) [EU Legislation in Progress]

Written by Sebastian Clapp (3rd edition, updated on 04.09.2023).

On 3 May 2023, the Commission put forward a proposal for a regulation establishing the act in support of ammunition production (ASAP). On 9 May 2023, the European Parliament agreed to trigger the urgent procedure under Rule 163 of its Rules of Procedure in order to proceed quickly with the proposal, without a report. On 1 June 2023, the plenary agreed to refer the file back to the Industry, Research and Energy Committee (ITRE), for interinstitutional negotiations on the basis of the Commission proposal unamended. The Council agreed its negotiating mandate on 23 June 2023. On 6 July 2023, the co-legislators reached a political agreement on ASAP, and Coreper confirmed the provisional agreement the following day. The deal was endorsed in Parliament’s Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) on 9 July. On 13 July the act was adopted in plenary. The final act was signed on 20 July and published in the Official Journal on 24 July.

The ASAP comes in response to Ukraine’s request for assistance with the supply of 155‑mm-calibre artillery rounds, and the agreement of the Council on 20 March 2023 on a three‑track proposal on ammunition. Member States were invited to urgently transfer ammunition from their own stocks to Ukraine (Track 1). They agreed to jointly procure 1 million ammunition rounds (Track 2). Track 3 aims at ramping up production capacity in the European defence industry. This is supposed to be achieved through the ASAP, which responds directly to the Council’s call to deliver ammunition urgently, and if requested missiles too, to Ukraine and to help Member States restock their supplies.

Versions

• September 2023: Act in support of ammunition production (ASAP) (3rd edition)