The EU bears a huge responsibility for what the future will look like, and has a key choice to make: work for sustainable peace by seriously tackling the root causes of conflicts, or continue the path to militarism and prepare for war, writes Laëtitia Sédou
At Commissioner-designate Syvie Goulard’s hearing on Wednesday, MEPs should question the over-influence of the arms industry and the impact of the new DG for “Defence Industry & Space” on peace, says Laëtitia Sédou.
The EU is about to agree a shared military industry fund which will give billions to arms companies and exacerbate the global arms race. Presented as a key step to strengthen the EU, instead, it enshrines renewed prevalence of national interests in a hard-security context, writes Laëtitia Sédou.
Calls for a more militarised Europe have grown and grown, while the EU Council recently concluded that “Europe must commit additional resources” to defence. But increasing military expenditure is not the way forward, warn Bram Vranken and Laëtitia Sédou.
Subsidising the arms industry is not the way the once-peace EU project will improve its popularity with eurosceptic citizens. Especially not when it is done on advice from the industry lobby. Instead, the EU should invest in jobs and research projects which contribute to the prevention of conflicts, says the Laetitia Sedou.
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