We in Europe have learned a lot from the EU: intercultural understanding, respect and freedom. It is precisely these values that make our peace and that we should carry into the world. Far too often, however, we export arms or military equipment.
It is important that the EU remains the peace project when it was founded. That is why I am concerned that from 2021 onwards billions will be spent on armaments projects and that the fight against migration will be more important than our commitment to poverty and human rights. In Parliament we do not yet have a majority for such positions – good to know that civil society and many peace projects are behind us (and in some cases have even more far-reaching demands).
With the call „Save the European Peace Project“, the Civil Voluntary Service Forum (ZFD) collected over 23,000 signatures for a Europe that stands up against violence and for human rights. On Tuesday, I invited the Forum to Parliament and we discussed how the EU can hold its own on the international stage even without billions in defence investments. As one of the largest arms suppliers, we have an influence on wars and conflicts around the world. It is time for the Member States to pull together on this and to adhere to the EU’s clear export criteria. In this way, we can prevent dictators from violating human rights and international law with our weapons and technology – and European companies from making money out of it. The most effective way to do this is an EU mechanism that centrally controls all our arms exports. I called for this back in September.
