Left Parliamentarians call for negotiations, disarmament and civil crisis management instead of increasing military expenditures

In Helsinki this week, Left Parliamentarians from the European and national Parliaments have been participating in the Inter-Parliamentary Conference for the Common and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). The aim of the Conference is to scrutinise EU Foreign and Defence Policy.

Following the meeting, MEP Idoia Villanueva Ruiz (Podemos, Spain), MPs Mr Aristos Damianou (AKEL, Cyprus), Mr Tobias Pflüger (DIE LINKE, Germany) and Georgios Katrougalos have released the following statement: .

In view of the various conflicts in particular in the European Neighbourhood, the growing confrontation between NATO and Russia, the collapse of the nuclear arms control regime and the start of a new arms race, the parliamentarians are calling for EU initiatives to revive the disarmament process. They express concerns and reject the EU’s security concept which favours military solutions over negotiations.

Thus, the Left Parliamentarians demand a proactive EU policy in the following areas:

· Revive the arms control and disarmament process, in particular concerning nuclear weapons and new types of weapons such as drones, autonomous weapons and prevention of an arms race in outer space;

· Dialogue with Russia about the different aspects of strategic stability in Europe and conflict resolution in the European Neighbourhood;

· Stop the militarisation of the Arctic region;

· Defending the JCPOA and development of trade and economic relations with Iran;

· Opposing an arms race in Europe, including the escalation of militarisation resulting from PESCO and presence of foreign military bases all over Europe;

· No further escalation of militarisation and arms race, in view of foreign military bases;

· End the financing of actions and projects with military implications from the EU budget according Art. 41 (2) TEU; Rejection of the European Commission’s proposal for the next Multiannual Financial Framework, specifically the budget titles for the ‘European Defence Fund’ ((€13 billion), ’Military Mobility’ ((€6.5 billion) and – as some sort of ’side budget’ – the ‘European Peace Facility’ ((€10.5 billion);

· Reduction of military budgets of EU member states in order to free up resources for social and economic development, mediation and civil conflict prevention and resolution;

· Respecting national, EU and international commitments regarding the export of weapons, such as the eight criteria of EU common Position 944/2008/CFSP and the criteria of the global Arms Trade Treaty and immediately end all export of arms and military equipment to conflict zones