MEP Marc Botenga highlights the donation of €500 million more to finance the production of war ammunition by the European Commission directly. He added that this is the latest gift from the European Commission to shareholders of the arms multinationals.
In his post, he also stated that while public services are underfunded, the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP) European directive uses vital public funds to fill the pockets of shareholders and arms dealers.
According to some sources, The Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP) directly responds to the Council’s call to deliver ammunition urgently, and if requested, missiles, to Ukraine and help Member States refill their stocks by introducing targeted measures. The Act aims to ensure the EU can ramp up its production capacity.
This Regulation aims at strengthening the responsiveness and ability of the Union defence industry to ensure the timely supply of ammunition and missiles in Europe.
The framework laid down by this new Regulation will include:
- a mechanism to map, monitor and better anticipate the existence of bottlenecks in the supply chains
- an instrument to financially support the reinforcement of the Union’s industrial production capacities
- the introduction of a temporary regulatory framework to address the ammunition supply crisis.
Furthermore, MEP Botenga took to his official Facebook account and stated that European stimulus funds should be used for research, health, and climate transition, not only to finance the war economy. He also said, “It’s the world upside down!”
Additionally, MEP Botenga provided brief information to the general people of Belgium about the change of necessary courses:
- Let’s tax the profits made from war
- Let’s launch a diplomatic initiative to end this conflict
- Let’s invest that money in public services and transition
- Together, let’s act for a future of peace and solidarity.
