Across Europe, an unprecedented scale of public money is being redirected towards weapons manufacturing and presented as “security”, “innovation”, or even “sustainability”.
EU military spending policies are increasingly driven by the arms industry itself. Rather than prioritising public interest, these policies are designed to boost the profitability of the arms industry, and accelerate the global arms race.
At the same time, deregulation is advancing in favor of the industry: reducing administrative, environmental, and regulatory safeguards to make arms production, financing, and exports easier and more and more profitable.
Public banks, including the EIB, are not merely supporting this trend, they are accelerating it. Major military companies are gaining greater access to public finance and even benefiting from “sustainable” investment labels.
At the same time, critical resources are being diverted away from sectors that genuinely strengthen societies and long-term security: education, healthcare, climate transition, and diplomacy.
In this EU Watchdog Radio episode, Marilisa Marigliano, Policy and Advocacy Officer at Counter Balance, speaks with Laëtitia Sédou, EU Project Manager at the European Network Against Arms Trade, about how public finance is being mobilised to serve militarisation.
Who we are
This podcast is produced by CEO and Counter Balance. Both NGOs raise awareness on the importance of good governance in the EU by researching issues like lobbying of large and powerful industries, corporate capture of decision making, corruption, fraud, human rights violations in areas like Big Tech, agro-business, biotech & chemical companies, the financial sector & public investment banks, trade, energy & climate, scientific research and much more…
You can find us wherever you listen to your podcasts. Stay tuned for more independent and in-depth information that concerns every EU citizen!