EU’s spending on development of military drones set to increase drastically

The European Commission has proposed an enormous boost in spending on the research and development of military technology. The  budget of the European Defense Fund (EDF) will grow from roughly €600 million currently to €13 billion for 2021-2027. The funding aims to boost the competitiveness of the European military industry.

In a press-release, the European Network Against Arms Trade (ENAAT) states that the EDF is a sign of too much influence of the military-industry, and finds that the money will merely benefit the arms producers while not contributing to solving the root causes of conflict. The EDF also particularly focuses on the development of unmanned military technology, such as armed drones. According to the European Commission’s own press release, these billions will be used..

“..for cross-border investments in state-of-the-art and fully interoperable technology and equipment in areas such as encrypted software and drone technology.”

 

This is concerning due to the ethical, legal, and strategic issues surrounding the use of armed drones. As Francesco Vignarca from the Italian Disarmament Network states:

“The use of armed drones, and of fully autonomous weapons in the near future, is changing the face of war and challenging international law. It is of particular concern that Europe puts the development of such problematic technology in the hands of a military industry which has profit as its ultimate goal.” 

Two weeks ago, in response to questions asked by the European Parliament on drone-related projects, the EU Commission stated that any human rights reviews of such projects would be carried out only after their completion.

To learn more on how the EDF is spending its billions, visit the ENAAT website. For more information on the European institutions and armed drones, visit our own Europe page.