Defence Minister Sklenár meets Head of EC Representation in Slovakia Vladimír Šucha
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- Date: 01.06.2023
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Defence Minister Martin Sklenár received Head of the European Commission Representation in Slovakia Vladimír Šucha at the Ministry of Defence (MOD) today (1 June 2023). They addressed the opportunities available to scale up SVK defence industrial capacity, potentially even from EU funds.
On the EU's plan to produce munitions for Ukraine's existing artillery weapons, Defence Minister Martin Sklenár said: “Slovakia is ready to help fulfil the EU’s shared ambition to deliver artillery munitions to Ukraine – our domestic defence industry has both the necessary capacity and specialist expertise.”
At the meeting, the Defence Minister and the Head of the EC Representation in Slovakia reviewed existing options for EU member states to shore up their defence industrial bases to allow for timely replenishment of munitions stocks and to meet Ukraine's military requirements.
According to Minister Sklenár, the planned increase in production capacity could lead to a significant reinvigoration of Slovakia's artillery munitions industry, making it more attractive to customers. On this note, Mr Sklenár and Mr Šucha agreed that making investments into extending production capacity would be beneficial in view of high demand for defence products, foreseen for the coming years.
On the EU's munitions manufacturing initiative for Ukraine, Minister Sklenár concluded: “Across the Union, there are only 15 defence firms in 11 EU member states that produce artillery munitions. Therefore, I am pleased that one among them is our defence manufacturer, which may bring new job opportunities to the regions.”
The conversation also touched on Slovakia's continued interest in using EU instruments and funding to increase its resilience against hybrid threats.
On the EU's plan to produce munitions for Ukraine's existing artillery weapons, Defence Minister Martin Sklenár said: “Slovakia is ready to help fulfil the EU’s shared ambition to deliver artillery munitions to Ukraine – our domestic defence industry has both the necessary capacity and specialist expertise.”
At the meeting, the Defence Minister and the Head of the EC Representation in Slovakia reviewed existing options for EU member states to shore up their defence industrial bases to allow for timely replenishment of munitions stocks and to meet Ukraine's military requirements.
According to Minister Sklenár, the planned increase in production capacity could lead to a significant reinvigoration of Slovakia's artillery munitions industry, making it more attractive to customers. On this note, Mr Sklenár and Mr Šucha agreed that making investments into extending production capacity would be beneficial in view of high demand for defence products, foreseen for the coming years.
On the EU's munitions manufacturing initiative for Ukraine, Minister Sklenár concluded: “Across the Union, there are only 15 defence firms in 11 EU member states that produce artillery munitions. Therefore, I am pleased that one among them is our defence manufacturer, which may bring new job opportunities to the regions.”
The conversation also touched on Slovakia's continued interest in using EU instruments and funding to increase its resilience against hybrid threats.
