Malta is one of seventeen European Union countries plus Norway to agree to jointly procure ammunition to help Ukraine and to replenish their own stockpiles, the EU’s European Defence Agency said.
“The project opens the way for EU Member States and Norway to proceed along two paths: a two-year, fast-track procedure for 155mm artillery rounds and a seven-year project to acquire multiple ammunition types,” the agency said in a statement.
The countries signed a so-called project arrangement, setting out the terms of reference for their joint procurement effort. The document is a precursor to starting talks with industry with the aim of signing contracts.
“Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden and Norway have signed,” the agency said.
“More Member States have already expressed their intent to join the initiative soon following national procedures.”
In a statement, the Government of Malta said that through this initiative, Malta will benefit from economies of scale and security of supply for the resources of the Armed Forces of Malta.​
During his intervention in the council, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade, Ian Borg, stated that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine violates the principles of international law and therefore cannot be ignored. Minister Borg reiterated Malta’s commitment to continue supporting Ukraine, within its constitutional obligations, by providing humanitarian aid that meets Ukraine’s needs but not in terms of weaponry.
via Reuters, DOI
