New resource on EU arms industry
QCEA has highlighted a new resource from the European Network Against Arms Trade
Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA) has highlighted a new website which tracks European arms exports and policies supporting the military industry.
Francesco Vignarca, coordinator of Rete Italiana Pace e Disarmo and from the European Network Against Arms Trade (ENAAT), which launched the website, said it was ‘an important resource for activists, journalists, politicians and everyone else who wants to know more about the EU and the military industry. In these times of seemingly unlimited support for the arms industry and rapid militarisation, it is necessary to present facts and analyses and hear voices with critical perspectives on current developments’.
According to QCEA, the last decade has seen rapid developments at the EU level regarding support for the arms industry, from funding instruments such as the European Defence Fund (EDF) and the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP), up to the announced ReArm Europe plan. ‘These funds and coming loans amount to subsidies aiming to strengthen the global competitiveness of the European arms industry, i.e. to increase arms exports and reduce the controls and restrictions that apply to them,’ said Wendela de Vries, researcher at Stop Wapenhandel and member of the ENAAT steering group.
One key feature of the website is the ‘arms export browser’ which shows the values of arms exports by EU member states since 1998. The browser can be searched and ordered in various ways to get insights about the main exporters, important customers, and the types of military equipment that the EU nations export.
QCEA flagged the website on the International Day for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Awareness on 5 March, and on the eve of a special EU summit on defence, where, the next day, EU leaders agreed to a large increase in defence spending to bolster support for Ukraine.
The website is: www.enaat.org.
