The lack of domestic ammonia production is affected by the EU defense industry. Plans to strengthen the sector are at risk due to imports from Russia.
The crisis in the fertilizer market and the persistent dependence of Europe on Russia’s deliveries threaten the plans of the European Union (EU) to strengthen its defense industry. Ammonia, a key raw material for fertilizers, is also used in the production of explosives, the EurActiv wrote on Wednesday. TASR informs this based on the TASS report.
The decline in the production of ammonia in Europe as a result of the energy crisis in 2022 forced European weapons producers to focus on its imports, especially from Russia, which increases the vulnerability of this industry, EURACTIV pointed out. “We need fertilizer producers to produce nitric acid. Today we are largely dependent on Russian producers,” said Thierry Franca, CEO of the French manufacturer of explosives EURENCO. Russian fertilizers came to the EU without any business barriers, which caused a decline in local production, noted.
The European Commission (EC) has repeatedly announced plans to strengthen the defense sector, but the question of supplies of key components such as ammonia and nitrogen is often not taken into account. Without reviving the European chemical sector, it is not possible to implement the Commission’s plans, because “we do not have the capacity to produce gunpowder without chemical industry,” he pointed out.
