With a new legislative proposal, the European Commission plans to make money from the “Digital Europe” and “Horizon Europe” programmes, as well as from infrastructure and cohesion funds, available for defence projects in the future. The initiative is part of the “ReArm Europe” package, which aims to expand defence spending across Europe. In total, up to €10 billion in direct EU budget funds could flow into the arms industry by 2027. Markus Buchheit, an MEP from the ESN group, comments:
“With this proposal the Commission crosses a red line: for the first time, clearly civilian research and innovation programmes are being turned into a piggy-back vehicle for rearmament. When they say ‘synergies’, they really mean cross-subsidising drones, AI weapons systems and military infrastructure—paid for with taxpayers’ money that was actually intended for digitalisation, education and sustainable development. This effectively abolishes the principle that EU funds should not flow into military hardware.
We are not talking about small change here, but about a ReArm Europe package worth up to €800 billion, flanked by further billions from digital and structural programmes. That means less money for small and medium-sized enterprises, for research into energy sources, for citizens’ digital inclusion—and instead a gigantic subsidy for the arms industry. With this, the EU loses the last shred of its moral credibility.
In general, defence must remain a core element of national sovereignty and the responsibility of the individual Member States. This plan also shows what ambitions the EU is really pursuing: the European super-state!
We will not go along with this. We demand a legally binding separation of civilian and military funds, full transparency for every euro, and democratic control by the Parliament. Europe’s future must be built on peace, innovation and prosperity, not on militarisation!”
