On Tuesday 23 March, 2017, the 28 Finance Ministers of the EU will meet first as Governors of the European Investment Bank and then as EU Council for Economic and Financial Affairs. While the Greek situation seem to focus all attention, 29 signatories from ENAAT and the ethical finance sector want to alert on the proposals of the EU Defence Action Plan to use the EU Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI, better known as the Juncker Plan) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) to increase further public funding for the arms industry. But this move would require the agreement of the 28 Member States to modify the EIB rules. We call them to maintain the exclusive civilian mandate of the EIB and EFSI. The arms & security industry largely benefits already from EU and national public money while having a negative impact on peace worldwide.
Civil society calls on policymakers to prevent the weakening of arms exports control
8 May 2026
Today, +25 civil society organisations urge decision makers to prevent arms export control systems from being weakened under the pretext of ‘simplification’ and ‘efficiency’. The negotiations on the EU omnibus package relating to defence are well advanced and about to conclude, including on the proposals modifying the Transfer directive regulating intra-EU arms exports. Weapons and military technology cannot be sold like toys or cans of beans, and EU governments are the ones responsible for ensuring compliance with European and international law, in particular the EU Common position on arms exports, the Arms Trade Treaty and the Convention on