Disturbing developments in Europe

Quietly, with little attention from the media, the European Commission, governments and military industry have been organising. They are pressing for more money for military projects and less controls over transfers of equipment and technologies. They may boast of new controls, such as the EU Code of Conduct on arms exports, but in reality many EU governments are doing all they can to help their companies sell and the EU machinery is being adapted to assist them.

There are calls for more European military spending to maintain the arms industry's competitiveness with United States. The fact that this country's massive military expenditure has neither made its own citizens safer, nor given it the ability to assist the building of peace and security overseas, is ignored.

Farnborough Framework Agreement

In 1998, the Defence Ministers of six EU states (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the UK) signed a Letter of Intent to restructure European military industry and simplify export procedures. In 2000, this was formalised by the Farnborough Framework Agreement which allowed the six to draw up secret lists of permitted export destinations, making arms transfers even more secret and weakening controls.

The Reviews

In July 2002 the European Commission published STAR 21 - Strategic Aerospace Review for the 21st Century. This was the result of the deliberations of the heads of seven aerospace industry companies (including Sir Richard Evans, then Chair of BAE Systems), five European Commissioners, the EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy and two Members of the European Parliament.

The Review said the agreed goal of the European Union was to build up capabilities for humanitarian assistance, peace-keeping and the like. Yet it was silent about the huge amounts of money spent on equipment, such as the Eurofighter, which would not appear to enhance such capabilities. A similar group, called LeaderSHIP 2015, set up in 2003, looked at the shipbuilding industry.

Barriers to EU military research spending have also fallen. A Group of Personalities was brought together by two EU Commissioners in 2003 and included the usual arms company representatives. It was to "propose principles and priorities of a European Security Research Programme." Reporting in 2004, the Group recommended that the EU "should move into high-tech funding for homeland security ... on a scale matching the US." Its minimum funding should be 1 billion Euros a year.

European Constitution

Most constitutions consist of an aspirational preamble followed by details of majorities needed for this and committees which look at the other. However, the proposed EU Constitution was nothing like this. Instead, it was a lengthy document which included a very definite commitment to develop European military capacity.

European Defence Agency

The Agency was established in July 2004. Tasked with overseeing the strengthening of European military capabilities, the Agency will evaluate the pledged military contributions of EU member states, promote further multinational co-operation and prevent the fragmentation of European military efforts. It will also work in the areas of materiel co-operation , technological research and the European military market.

Further information