Arms exports from EU countries
19.9.2017
Question for written answer E-005825-17
to the Council
Rule 130
Nikolaos Chountis (GUE/NGL)
According to SIPRI[1] , Greece has one of the largest military budgets as a percentage of GDP in the EU and imports military equipment of great value from EU countries, mainly from German and French companies.
The fact that European arms companies continue to sell military equipment to a country that is subject to a Memorandum and an austerity programme is at odds with criterion 8 of Common Position 2008/944/CFSP on the export of military equipment and Article 2.8 of the User’s Guide.
In particular, in order to receive a licence, military equipment exporting companies are required to take account of the economic and social situation of the countries to which they export, inter alia by examining the share of military spending in terms of GDP, budgetary sustainability, viability of debt and the relationship between military expenditure and expenditure on health and education.
In view of the above, will the Council say:
- —Does it know whether European arms companies have applied criterion 8 in the case of Greece, especially since the outbreak of the financial and economic crisis?
- —Article 9 of the Common Position provides that ‘Member States shall, as appropriate, assess jointly through the CFSP framework the situation of potential or actual recipients of exports of military technology and equipment from Member States, in the light of the principles and criteria of this Common Position.’ Has this Article been applied in the case of Greece, and if so, when?
- [1] Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.