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

Is the Taoiseach concerned about the new arms race that is taking place across Europe? There is a report from the Transnational Institute which draws on research from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute and really highlights what exactly is taking place. By mid-May 2022, EU member states had announced a total of close to €200 billion in increased military spending for the coming years, which is higher than the entire spending for 2020.

In 2014, three of the 30 NATO member states were above the target of spending of 2% of GDP on the military. By the end of 2022, that is expected to rise to nine, with another nine countries being expected to hit the target by 2025, bringing the total to 18. The European Commission has suggested an increase in the European Defence Fund and in money within the multi-annual financial framework. The beneficiaries of all this spending are the big arms companies. I stress that every euro spent on these polluting armies is a euro not being spent to address the climate disaster. It goes in the absolute wrong direction.

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