61 civil society organisations urge the new members of the European Parliament to save the EU peace project

Today, 61 civil society organisations active in a wide range of areas (peace, environment, human rights, science, development, health, humanitarian aid, transparency…) wrote to the Members of the newly elected European Parliament, urging them to save the EU peace project:

“Since 2017, EU funds have been diverted for military-related spending, with a €590 million envelope to fund military-industrial Research and Development and another €100 million to enable the EU to provide support for ‘Capacity Building of military actors in support of Security for Development’ (CBSD)".

The proposal for the next Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF 2021-2027) takes a further step down that road by giving priority to the security and military interests of the EU, while neglecting its traditional strengths like conflict resolution, diplomacy, mediation, institution-building and economic incentives to promote peace.

Before the EU elections, dozens of civil society organisations urged candidates to ‘save the European peace project’ and ‘work towards a peaceful Europe’.

Read here the complete letter sent to the new members of the European Parliament.

For more information visit the European Network Against Arms Trade (ENAAT) site.