Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

I will focus on the galloping pace of militarisation of the European Union. We consistently need to ring alarm bells about it because the Government's approach is to state "there is nothing to see here". We are joining PESCO which represents a real and qualitative increase in the State's role in the militarisation of the European Union. The notification states "a long-term vision of Pesco could be to arrive at a coherent full spectrum force package – in complementarity with Nato, which will continue to be the cornerstone of collective defence for its members". That is just one recent illustration of the pace of militarisation. If one looks at the European Council's conclusions, item No. 1, which has been well discussed, is the issue of migration which is about raising even higher the militarised walls of Fortress Europe, while item No. 2 is security and defence. It states:

The Union is therefore taking steps to bolster European defence, by enhancing defence investment, capability development and operational readiness. These initiatives enhance its strategic autonomy while complementing and reinforcing the activities of NATO, in line with previous conclusions.

It goes on to call for the fulfilment of PESCO commitments, welcome progress on the issue of military mobility and call for the swift implementation of the European Defence Industrial Development Programme, further progress on the European Defence Fund and a further deepening of EU-NATO co-operation. This is happening in a context where there is a certain weakening of ties and a certain breach between US imperialism and the big European imperial powers. It is also happening in a context where there is the threat of rising Russian imperialism. It was President Juncker who spelled it out clearly in 2015 when he said a common European army would convey a clear message to Russia that the European Union was serious about defending European values. These values are, of course, about keeping migrants out, allowing people like Viktor Orbán to do what he likes, allowing people like Matteo Salvini to come to power in Italy, enforcing austerity, with a complete lack of democratic controls on the periphery of Europe and using trade deals to exploit less developed countries for the benefit of European corporations. They are the European values they are talking about defending and its pace is increasing. The Meseberg Declaration by the French and German Governments, in addition to a joint intervention force, called for the exploration of the use of the majority vote in the field of Common Foreign and Security Policy. What that means is an end to the veto over the European Union intervening directly, as opposed to using the likes of PESCO. That is what the French and German Governments are now calling for and they may well get their wish ultimately. They have also committed to together progressing towards a better integrated European defence policy. That declaration already has its real world implications with the establishment of a joint European military intervention force. The French and German Governments also have a clear wish for it to be linked with PESCO, in which Ireland is involved.

The final issue I want to highlight in the framework of militarisation is the establishment at the last meeting of Foreign Affairs and Defence Ministers of what is called the Coordinated Annual Review on Defence, CARD. It will be a review conducted by the European Defence Agency to "provide a better overview of national defence spending plans". It is an EU body that will monitor defence spending to ensure governments across the European Union are spending 2% on average. It is the military equivalent of the sixpack, the twopack, European surveillance and the methods used to monitor implementation of austerity. The same undemocratic moves are being made to enforce and increase the pace of militarisation.

What is most shocking for people is the massive increase in military spending - it is taxpayers' money in Ireland and across Europe - contained in the latest proposal for the Multiannual Financial Framework, a seven-year budget for the European Union. The Commission proposes a budget of €13 billion for the European Defence Fund. That would place the European Union in the top four of defence research and technology investors in Europe. To really highlight the point - this comes directly from a Commission document - it is 22 times the current level of spending. This is money that could be used for investment in public services, but instead it is money that will go to the manufacturers of killing machines - drones, bombs and weapons of all sorts - while some of it will end up with Israeli armaments companies, in particular.

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