Following the annexation of the Krim and the proclamation of the Separatist republics in Donbass in 2014, an arms embargo against Russia was passed by the EU. Germany, however, afterwards continued to deliver dual-use goods (i.e. goods that are suitable for both civil and military use) and weapons to Russia, with an overall value of 121.8 million euros. This is shown by a recently published Research by Investigative Europe. France exported even more, including bombs, rockets, torpedoes, missiles, explosive devices – goods worth a total of 152 million euros. Other suppliers were Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria.
I spoke to the Investigative Europe team about these revelations. It is clear to me that we need a common European arms export policy that is legal and transparent and involves the European Parliament. I’m tired of deals being made on the quiet that only benefit the defense industry, but harm the common EU foreign policy. The results of the research were published in i.a. German newspapers Bild and Tagesspiegel.
Open letter from 35 MEPs
In response to the report, my colleagues Alviina Alametsä, Mounir Satouri and I wrote a letter that was signed by a total of 35 MEPs. Among other things, we demand that such embargoes fulfil their purpose in the future and that the EU export criteria are respected.
The German, the French and the Italian government allowed exports of military equipment to #Russia even after the 2014 embargo.
Together with my colleagues @MounirSatouri @alviinaalametsa and 32 more, we ask for this to stop and not happen again in other cases. https://t.co/lrZ8kjNrSm
— Hannah Neumann (@HNeumannMEP) March 18, 2022
