Information on politics and society News, reports, and analyses from the European Parliament Edited by Sabine Lösing, MEP No. 8, November 2012 Jürgen Wagner Jürgen Europe Power World the for andaMilitary-Industrial Complex Chests, War Arms Build-Up, of Terms In Pressure Armament of As aDrivingForce The EU TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword 3 4.4 Space armament by means of civilian budget items 27 1. Introduction 4 4.5 Security and armament research 31 2. Empire of Europe: Political and Economic Interests in the Militarization of the European Union 7 4.6 Militarization of development aid and disaster relief 33 2.1 Claim to world power and economic expansion agenda 7 4.7 EEAS: Institutionalized militarization of civilian budgets and capacities 36 2.2 Imperial geostrategy 8 5. Europe’s Military-Industrial Complex 41 2.3 Return of the great power conflicts 11 5.1 EU MIC: Political and industrial interests 41 2.4 Neoliberalism, poverty, and war 12 5.2 Eurochampions: Concentration processes 2.5 Lobby for war and profit 14 in the EU arms industry 43 3. Pressure in Terms of Armaments Build-Up 5.3 Defence Package: An EU armaments On The Part of Brussels 16 market for the EU MIC 45 3.1 EU militarization – an interim appraisal 16 5.4 Europeanization of military policy 47 3.2 Pressure in terms of armament build up by 5.5 „Arms exports are essential for survival!“ 49 way of a Permanent Structured Cooperation 18 5.6 Europeanization of military policy – crisis 3.3 An agency for armament build-up 19 as a chance? 50 3.4 The myth of rapidly declining military budgets 22 6. EU MIC: Risks and side effects 52 4. Open and Hidden Military Budgets and Instrumentalization of Civilian Foreign Policy 26 Cover photo: Personal graphic 4.1 The CFSP budget and the financing of created by using, among others, “civilian“ EU operations 26 photographic material of the European Council; Helicopter 4.2 Athena: Hidden war chest 26 photography © Matthias-Kabel, 4.3 Start-up fund: Nucleus of a military budget CC license via Wikimedia of the EU? 27 The EU As a Driving Force of Armament Editors of the brochure are Sabine Lösing, MEP, and the Parliamentary Group GUE/NGL in the European Parliament. Editing by: Informationsstelle Militarisierung (IMI) e.V. , Hechinger Str. 203, 72072 Tübingen www.imi-online.de English Translation Anni Pott; proofreading Dr. Paula Niemietz Publication date: November 2012 (Layout: Andreas Seifert) Circulation: 500 Büro Brüssel: Bürgerbüro: Verbindungsbüro Deutscher Bundestag: Europäisches Parlament Abgeordnetenbüro Sabine Lösing Europabüro Berlin Sabine Lösing Lange Geismarstraße 2 Sabine Lösing, MdEP Rue Wiertz ASP 06F255 37073 Göttingen Unter den Linden 50 B-1047 Brüssel Tel.: 0551-50766823 10178 Berlin Tel.: 0032-2-284 7894 Fax: 0551-50766838 Tel.: 030-227 71405 Fax: 0032-2-284 9894 Mail: [email protected] Fax: 030-227 76819 Mail: [email protected] Mitarbeiter: Dr. Fritz Hellmer Mail: [email protected] Mail: [email protected] Mitarbeiter: Arne Brix Mitarbeiterin: Ota Jaksch www.sabine-loesing.de Foreword Many still see the European Union as a civilian power Unfortunately, this development is also being ad- which has little to do with war and armament. Yet, a “ci- vanced, in particular, by almost all of my colleagues in the vilian power Europe” would not need any huge military European Parliament. For example, the “Report on the im- apparatus; a world power Europe which, in case of need, pact of the financial crisis on the defence sector in the EU is ready to pursue its interests through violence, however, Member States“, submitted to the Committee on Foreign would. And it is actually almost impossible to close one’s Affairs (AFET) of the European Parliament, of which I am eyes to the militarization of the European Union which has a member, in November 2011, symptomatically reflects been taking place for the past few years and which is virtu- the attitude of the large majority of the Members of the Eu- ally impossible to overlook. Still, it has been maintained ropean Parliament (MEPs). It warns that “defence budget again and again that the European Union would be a good cuts could result in the complete loss of certain military ca- thing, above all for those who would like to save money in pabilities in Europe“. To prevent this, the Report requests the military sector. But by means of trite catchphrases such that armament research should also be financed from the as “efficiency enhancement“, “economies of scale“, and EU budget and that the cross-financing of military actions ”savings potential”, reality is being whitewashed. While or acquisitions of the European Union should be extended social spending is in free fall in almost every country of via the so-called ATHENA mechanism. In addition, there the European Union, military budgets are left almost un- would be “the need to progress in the consolidation of scathed: In the year 2011, the Member States spent only the European defence technological and industrial base”. unsignificantly less than in the previous years: $ 281 bil- These are all proposals which ensure that the armament lion! sector will get more money, and also promote the develop- But this is only the gloomy tip of the iceberg. Even ment of a military-industrial complex. well informed and critical observers of the EU’s foreign At the same time, it is pretended that there are no funds and security policy should be frightened by the magnitude, to address misery and poverty of countless people inside comprehensively highlighted in this study, with which the but in particular also outside the European Union. A frac- European Union is currently promoting numerous milita- tional part of the armament spending worldwide would, rization processes. The omnipresent alliance between poli- however, be enough to be able to achieve the Millennium tics and industry responsible for this, which I also continu- Development Goals for fighting poverty. But the big al- ously encounter in the European Parliament, unfortunately liance for war and profit prefers to continue to feed up has proven extremely effective in this respect. Largely un- a giant military apparatus, whose very task is mainly to noticed, this military lobby has succeeded in building up maintain the existing structures of exploitation around the an enormous armament pressure, in establishing ever more world and to secure them by violence. The fact that all official, but in particular also inofficial military budgets, this is currently also even justified by an alleged need to and in forcing the development of a European military- economize which in reality does not exist in such a form industrial complex. All this is the result of a combination for the military sector, caps it all off. The alternative is between the world power ambitions of the European Un- readily at hand: Because whoever really wants to econo- ion or its politicians and the profit interests of the arma- mize disarms! ment industry. This combination is responsible for the fact that the European Union has become a downright driving force of armament. 3 1. Introduction In the course of the serious economic and financial cri- association, AeroSpace and Defence Industries Associa- sis currently being experienced by the EU Member States, tion of Europe (ASD): “If today’s situation doesn’t evolve budgets are being in part radically cut across the continent. significantly in the coming years, Europe is at risk of los- In this connection, the large majority of the European1 ing key capabilities in the field of defence. [...] When Eu- population is arguing for rigorous cuts in the military bud- rope wakes up, it will be too late! Once lost or significantly gets instead of continual reductions in social spending – in eroded, high-tech capabilities cannot be easily re-created. a survey in Germany it was an overwhelming majority of The time for action is now.”6 In this way the impression is about 82 percent.2 In France and other European countries, conveyed, consciously and successfully, that the industry there is a similar mood3: “If faced with a tradeoff between is battling for its existence. Headlines such as “Rüstung- funding entitlements, such as pensions, health care, and skonzerne wie EADS gehen schweren Zeiten entgegen” social welfare payments versus defense, the choice would [Armament Corporations Such As EADS Are Heading be obvious. In Europe, ’abstract notions of national secu- Into Rough Times] or Budgetkürzungen zwingen Rüs- rity and defence mean little when fundamental issues of tungsindustrie zum Sparen [Budget Cuts Are Forcing social existence are at stake.’”4 Nevertheless, there is only Armament Industry to Economize] are the order of the day a slight decrease in the EU’s military spending compared in mass media.7 to previous years, and almost unvaryingly high budgets are But before someone is moved to too much pity for the unfortunately also anticipated in the forthcoming years (cf. seemingly distressed armament industry: Such prophecies Chapter 3.4). of doom have nothing to do with reality. For example, a Against this background it is all the more outrageous study published by the Center for Strategic and Interna- that politicians of almost all persuasions successfully con- tional Studies (CSIS) in May 2011 concluded: “European tinue to convey the impression that military spending is defense and security companies have performed well in in free fall all over Europe. Symptomatic of the creative recent years, both in absolute terms and compared to their way of dealing with reality is, for instance, a resolution peers in the commercial sector.“8 While revenues dropped passed by the EU Members of Parliament which states: in the 1990s, the business with armament goods has, how- “The European Parliament […] notes with concern the ever, been highly profitable in the last ten years.