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Theis has previously said Belgium alone would need to invest between 5 billion euros and 7 billion euros to produce enough shells to fight a two-month conflict.
Charles Michel, President of the Council of Europe, said at the European Investment Bank Group Forum on Wednesday:
The EU already offers limited subsidies to encourage joint procurement and help build production lines, but Thys says it will take time for these initiatives to yield modest benefits.
“From an industrial perspective, it means it will take two to three years to build up the supply chain,” he said, adding that Russia has proven to be ramping up production of shells and weapons faster.
European weapons manufacturer KNDS plans to open a new production line for 155mm artillery shells in Belgium, but it will take two years just to start production and even install and set up the machinery to make the circular cartridges.
Once the factory is up and running, it will only be able to produce 30,000 rounds a year, a fraction of the 200,000 rounds a month that Ukraine’s military needs to fight Russian troops on a 1,000-kilometer front.
“There’s a lot of silver lining…people underestimate the amount of time it takes to realize a project,” Tice said. “Europe’s industrial structure is not strong enough to support Ukraine.”
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