EU finances first-ever joint weapons purchase for Ukraine

For the first time in history, the European Union has approved funding for five cross-border projects aimed at improving defense procurement coordination among EU member states. The total investment amounts to €300 million. Notably, most of the selected projects focus on purchasing weapons for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Rubryka reports with reference to the website of the European Commission.

According to the European Commission, each of the five projects, which are part of the European Defense Industry Reinforcement through Joint Procurement (EDIRPA), will receive €60 million, bringing the total investment to €300 million.

The Commission emphasized that the majority of these projects involve purchasing defense products for Ukraine, including air defense and missile defense systems, as well as ammunition to enhance the country's defense capabilities during the ongoing war.

The EC further noted that these joint procurements will improve interoperability among EU member states' armed forces. The larger, more predictable contracts will strengthen European industry, allowing it to better adapt its production capacity to meet Europe's defense needs. Overall, this joint procurement initiative is expected to boost the defense readiness of EU member states.

The five selected EDIRPA projects cover the following areas of procurement:

• Anti-aircraft and anti-missile defense systems
• Modern armored vehicles
• Ammunition

The European Commission explained that these projects will now enter the "preparation phase" of the grant agreement, which involves detailed coordination between the Commission and the consortia of public authorities from EU member states.

The total procurement value of these five projects exceeds €11 billion, which highlights the significant level of EU funding. The €300 million investment from EDIRPA has leveraged commitments that are more than 36 times larger, demonstrating the program's effectiveness in attracting substantial EU defense investment.

These selected projects involve 20 EU member states, some of which will be participating in joint defense procurement programs for the first time.

In addition to these projects, the Commission noted that other promising proposals were also submitted but not selected.

The projects not selected for immediate funding have been placed on a reserve list, allowing for the possibility of future funding. This could happen if Member States involved in these proposals seek to support them by transferring unused EU funds allocated to them under shared management.

Additionally, on November 8, the Council of the EU extended the mandate of its training mission for the Ukrainian military (EUMAM Ukraine) for two more years, lasting until November 15, 2026. The budget for this extended mission amounts to almost €409 million for the period from November 14, 2024, to November 15, 2026.

Furthermore, the European Union is set to modify its approach to military support for Ukraine, primarily due to the veto of Hungary, which has been more sympathetic to Russia's position.

As reported by Rubryka, the European Commission also agreed to allocate €4.1 billion to Ukraine within the framework of the Ukraine Facility program, providing further support for the country's resilience and development.