civil society calls for EU research agenda to shift focus from private benefits to global public goods

ENAAT contributed to a “civil society perspective on the next EU research Framwork Programme (FP9)” calling for the next EU Research policy to shift its focus from jobs, growth and competitiveness, including subsidies for the arms industry, to delivering global public goods for its citizens.

The EU is a peace project. There can be no place for military research. The EU should invest in research projects which contribute to the peaceful prevention and resolution of conflicts rather than subsidise research for arms production.” warns Laëtitia Sédou, European Programme Officer at the European Network Against Arms Trade.

The European Commission is in the process of drafting the next EU Research Framework Programme to run from 2021 to 2027 (the follow-up of the so-called Horizon2020 Programme). The draft proposal is expected by spring 2018.

The scenarios presented so far have been criticised by MEPs, civil society for a lack of vision and for failing on climate and increasing funds for defence instead of investing in society.

Civil society groups from a wide range of fields have come together for the first time to express their views and suggest concrete proposals on the next EU research framework.

Read the PRESS RELEASE_june2017_FP9&PPP

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Peace and Disarmament in Europe: For shared détente, peace and security

Europe is the second most militarized region in the world, with a military budget that surpasses China’s and is three times that of Russia. Additionally, the EU’s budget for security and defense has tripled over the past two decades, reaching 19.5 billion euros in the current framework program. The Delàs Center for Peace Studies, in collaboration with the European Network Against Arms Trade (ENAAT), analyzes Europe’s militarization and proposes alternatives to European security policies in the publication “Peace and Disarmament in Europe: For shared détente, peace and security”.

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