Act in Support of Ammunition Production

The Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP), formally Regulation (EU) 2023/1525 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 July 2023,^[1] was written as a piece of legislation of the European Parliament and adopted by the European Union in July 2023.^[2][3] ASAP has three aims or "tracks":

1. Track 1 supports the use of existing EU member states' ammunition stocks;
2. Track 2 supports joint procurement of ammunition; and
3. Track 3 supports the delivery of ammunition and missiles to Ukraine.^[4]

The first tranche of €500 million^[5] was disbursed by March 2024.^[6]

History

The von der Leyen Commission felt as early as May 2023 that such an act was needed,^[5] and in late May it was discussed by the Parliament.^[7] The legislation passed with a vote 446 yeas and 67 nays on 1 June 2023.^[8]

On 18 October 2023, the first call for proposals was launched. It covered "explosives, powder, shells, missiles, and testing and re-conditioning of older ammunition such as Soviet-era dated ammunition."^[9]

The first tranche of €500 million was finalized by 15 March 2024.^[6][10] Grants were approved for 31 projects in 15 member countries.^[10][11]