The European Defence Agency signed eight contracts on September 5 with industry for the joint procurement of 155 mm ammunition for Ukraine.

According to the EDA announcement, signing the contracts was the first step in history towards using the European Union to purchase weapons collectively. 

Thanks to these contracts, EU member states and Norway can now purchase 155 mm ammunition through EDA, which will operate as a purchasing agency.

The ammunition to be procured is intended for the most common self-propelled howitzers that EU member states have handed over to Ukraine: French Caesar, Polish Krab, German Panzerhaubitze 2000 and Slovak Zuzana. 

In order to comply with legal obligations and protect trade secrets, EDA cannot disclose the names of contractors and unit prices at this stage and does not comment on ongoing negotiations. 

These framework contracts were signed as part of a trilateral approach to supplying more artillery ammunition and missiles to Ukraine, as agreed by the EU Council in March 2023.

The European Union supports member states in the supply of artillery ammunition and missiles from national reserves, aggregation of demand and joint procurement of 155 mm ammunition, and in increasing the production capacity of the European defence industry.

The "Act in Support of Ammunition Production" (ASAP), a European Union regulation designed to increase the production of ammunition and missiles, came into force on July 23.

ASAP is part of the European Union's plan to provide Ukraine with one million artillery rounds within 12 months, proposed in March 2022.