The EU, and specifically the European Commission (EC), showed again how it understands the meaning of solidarity and equality among its members.
The decision to provide funding to European companies is motivated by the desire to provide more missiles to Ukraine and replenish stocks. Europe aims to achieve an annual ammunition shell production capacity of 2 million by 2025. The EUR 500 million package would sound like a lot in 1999, but in 2024, it's not that much. Still, let's look at how it was distributed in light of what is needed and who needs the most of it.
The Commission has selected 31 projects to assist the European industry. The largest beneficiaries will be Norwegians - enterprises from this country will receive approximately EUR 87.6 million. The next place is taken by Germany, which will receive approximately EUR 85 million. Companies from countries such as France (EUR 38 million), Finland (EUR 32.5 million), Hungary (EUR 27 million), Spain (EUR 23.8 million), and Sweden (EUR 19 million) can also count on significant funding.
Poland gets the least of all the beneficiaries of the program, EUE 2.1 million. You would think the country that sent the most help to Ukraine should get at least as much as Germany.
Maybe the EC wanted to send a clear signal to the Polish president to keep his mouth shut. Just days before, President Duda called on NATO members to raise defense spending to 3% of GDP. Poland currently spends 4% of GDP.
Interestingly, the news of this "major" initiative was dumped on us on Friday (a well-known tactic of Biden's administration), so not many media outlets can comment on it, and by Monday, there will be more important news to deliver to the masses. The tactic seems to be working.
- Based on reports by Niezalezna, Dorzeczy, Defense24 and Euronews.
