Upcoming Events

International | EU

no events match your query!

New Events

International

no events posted in last week

Blog Feeds

Anti-Empire

Anti-Empire

offsite link North Korea Increases Aid to Russia, Mos... Tue Nov 19, 2024 12:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link Trump Assembles a War Cabinet Sat Nov 16, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link Slavgrinder Ramps Up Into Overdrive Tue Nov 12, 2024 10:29 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link ?Existential? Culling to Continue on Com... Mon Nov 11, 2024 10:28 | Marko Marjanovi?

offsite link US to Deploy Military Contractors to Ukr... Sun Nov 10, 2024 02:37 | Field Empty

Anti-Empire >>

Human Rights in Ireland
Promoting Human Rights in Ireland

Human Rights in Ireland >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link News Round-Up Fri Dec 13, 2024 00:51 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link If You Thought the Farmers? Inheritance Tax Raid was Bad, Wait Till You See What its Proponents Have... Thu Dec 12, 2024 19:00 | Mat Brown
If you thought the inheritance tax raid on farmers was bad, wait till you see what its proponents have in store for us next, says Mat Brown. The Blob that gave us the 'tractor tax' has its sights set on a wealth tax.
The post If You Thought the Farmers’ Inheritance Tax Raid was Bad, Wait Till You See What its Proponents Have in Store for Us Next appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Education Department Awards $1 Billion in DEI Grants Since 2021, Report Finds Thu Dec 12, 2024 18:03 | Will Jones
The U.S. Education Department has handed out more than $1 billion in DEI grants since 2021, a report from Parents Defending Education has found. No wonder Donald Trump wants to abolish it.
The post Education Department Awards $1 Billion in DEI Grants Since 2021, Report Finds appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link How Science is Showing that Free Speech is Built into the Brain Thu Dec 12, 2024 15:52 | Dr Christopher Badcock
Science is showing that free speech is built into the brain, says Dr. Christopher Badcock. The latest insights from neuroscience suggest that the censorious are regressing to infantile cognition where no nuance is allowed.
The post How Science is Showing that Free Speech is Built into the Brain appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Only 20% of Muslim Americans Voted for Kamala Harris Thu Dec 12, 2024 13:30 | Noah Carl
Just 20% of Muslim Americans voted for Kamala Harris ? fewer than voted for Donald Trump! The reason Muslims are abandoning the centre-Left is clear, says Noah Carl: they want parties that don't back Israel.
The post Only 20% of Muslim Americans Voted for Kamala Harris appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?111 Fri Dec 06, 2024 12:25 | en

offsite link Attempted coup d'?tat in South Korea Fri Dec 06, 2024 12:17 | en

offsite link What is changing in the Middle East , by Thierry Meyssan Tue Dec 03, 2024 07:08 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?110 Fri Nov 29, 2024 15:01 | en

offsite link Verbal ceasefire in Lebanon Fri Nov 29, 2024 14:52 | en

Voltaire Network >>

1000 Researchers And Scientists Call On European Parliament To Oppose The European Defence Fund

category international | eu | press release author Wednesday April 17, 2019 17:40author by pm - The People's Movement Report this post to the editors

Press Release 17 April 2019

Tomorrow the European Parliament will vote on a 13 billion military research and development fund, the so called European Defence Fund. One thousand researchers, scientists and academics from twenty-five European countries call on the Parliament to vote against the Fund. They argue that the EU should tackle the root causes of conflict instead of funding military research.

On Thursday the European Parliament votes on a ‘compromise text’ on the European Defence Fund. This would be a significant break with past European policies, as military funding has until now been excluded from the EU budget.

The 1000 researchers warn of the consequences of an R&D programme for new arms technology. "The establishment of an EU military research programme points towards an unprecedented acceleration in the militarisation of the EU," says Dr Stuart Parkinson, Executive Director of Scientists for Global Responsibility. "Investing EU funds in military research will not only divert resources from more peaceful areas, but is also likely to
fuel arms races, undermining security in Europe and elsewhere".
peoples_movement_no_to_eu_defence_fund.jpg

Nobel peace prize
European weaponry is at the moment being heavily used by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. The war has, according to the United Nations, led to one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes in the world.
“It is shocking that at a moment when Europe is complicit in war crimes by sustaining one of the worst conflicts in the world, the EU now wants to pour money into the arms industry to make it even more competitive on global markets.”, says Bram Vranken from the Belgian peace organisation Vredesactie. “This is unworthy of a Nobel Peace Prize-winning organisation.”

Controversial weapons
The scientists warn of funding for controversial weapons, such as armed drones and killer robots. These so-called disruptive technologies have become a priority in the Defence Fund and are set to receive up to 10 percent of overall funding.
Recently there has been consternation in the European Parliament over the lack of ethical oversight of the fund.
“The EU is prioritising highly controversial research, such as the
development of robotic weapon systems. Not only will this exacerbate a global race in such technologies, but this could also lead to an increase in arms exports to repressive regimes and fuel conflict,” says Dr Parkinson.

Press contact: Bram Vranken | 0497 13 14 64 | bram@vredesactie.be
---
About Researchers for Peace
Researchers for Peace is a campaign run by the European Network Against Arms Trade, International Network of Engineers and Scientists for Global Responsibility, International Peace Bureau, Vredesactie (Belgium), Scientists for Global Responsibility (UK), Centre Delàs d'Estudis per la Pau (Spain), Rete Italiana per il Disarmo (Italy), and Science Citoyenne (France).
The sign-on statement for researchers – which calls on the European Union to stop funding military research – together with a current list of signatories can be viewed at: http://www.researchersforpeace.eu

Notes
The European Union was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2012 – see: https://www.nobelpeaceprize.org/Prize-winners/Winners

Vredesactie is a pluralistic organisation that is part of the peace movement, making a radical plea for a society in which conflicts are resolved without violence or the threat of violence. Vredesactie is an engine for the
development of non-violent action and the realization of a pacifist peace policy.
Vredesactie | Patriottenstraat 27, 2600 Berchem | 03 281 68 39
www.vredesactie.be | contact@vredesactie.be

Related Link: https://www.facebook.com/peoplesmovementireland/posts/10160028069307355
© 2001-2024 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy