We release today our new report ‘Fanning the Flames: how the EU is fuelling a new arms race’, in collaboration with TNI
Days after European leaders agreed to drastically increase military spending at the Versailles Summit,our report reveals how the EU’s first defence programmes worth almost €600 million are marred in conflicts of interest, corruption allegations, and fall significantly short of meeting the most basic ethical and legal standards.
Read our Press Release in English and French
Read the full report Here, and the Executive Summary in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian and Dutch
In ‘Fanning the Flames: How the European Union is fuelling a new arms race’ the European Network against the Arms Trade (ENAAT) and the Transnational Institute (TNI) examine how European public money is being used to fund controversial military wares.
The report reveals that EU decision making processes have been captured by highly lucrative arms corporations that exploit these political spaces for their own gain.
The companies the EU is funding under these budgets are involved in dubious and highly controversial arms deals, produce nuclear weapons, and many are facing corruption charges. The ethical and legal checks applied to approve the funding of novel and potentially lethal weaponry fall short of even the most basic standards.
The report focuses specifically on how funding for two precursor programmes to the European Defence Fund is being spent and draws broader conclusions on what direction European militarism is likely to take in the coming years.