Thread by @TNInstitute

“If you prepare for war you get war, if you prepare for peace you get peace.”
―Ukrainian peace activist Yurii Sheliazhenko

Our new report reveals why the EU should not fund the research and development of new weapons. 🧵👇🏽

The EU began funding the development of military wares in 2017.

It then increased its military budget by 1250% from one budgetary cycle to another.

It is increasingly intent on investing in militarism and preparing for war rather than prioritising peace.

Through the European Defence Fund (EDF) and its precursor programmes, Europe’s largest arms companies gifted themselves hundreds of millions of 💰in tax money.

They did this using their power as members of the Group of Personalities, an EU advisory body on defence spending.

The EU funds companies accused of corruption: Five of the eight largest beneficiaries of the EDF’s precursor programmes - Leonardo, Safran, Thales, Airbus, and Saab - had substantial corruption allegations levelled against them or associated companies.

Most of the programmes' funding goes to Europe’s largest arms companies located in France, Germany, Italy and Spain, showing that the funds are mostly being used to subsidise the already highly lucrative arms industry.

The EDF and its precursor programmes will develop the next generation of lethal weapon systems.

But these developments are largely unregulated and the ethical and legal checks mainly rely on self-assessments by the applicants themselves.

Another issue is the lack of transparency: The EU Commission withheld information when requested, including their legal and ethical audits.

The Ombudsman’s office found it concerning ‘that there is no detailed assessment of the compliance of projects with international law’.

Political and social problems can never be resolved militarily. Beefing up defence capacity only contributes to instability and tension.

The EU must return to its founding principles of promoting peace.

🔥tni.org/fanningtheflam…