News that the European Union is looking to spend over €800 billion on defence has led to concerns from Dublin MEPs that ordinary people will be the ones footing the bill.
Recent developments in the Russia-Ukraine war and subsequent moves by the second Trump administration have spurred Europe into spending the most it ever has on defence, but two Dublin MEPs have said the cost of military rearmament should not come at the cost of social services.
Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan said, “it is disappointing that the EU has been able to find such a vast amount of money to fund this rearmament, while it has neglected funding for communities and for a just transition to tackle climate change.”
Boylan expressed concern that a number of proposals in the plan look to bring the EU closer to NATO, and increase the collective buying of defence equipment.
Boylan noted that the European Commission said that cohesion policy funding, which is used to help communities and support economies across the EU, could be dipped into to help fund military spending.
“The Irish government must oppose this disastrous move which would cut key funding for vulnerable communities in Ireland and across Europe; ordinary worers and families should not be the ones forced to pick up the tab for an EU Rearmament plan.”
“The government must scrutinise this very carefully and take a position with the European Council that reflects the overwhelming public support for Irish neutrality, and which clearly opposes any cuts to funding that supports workers, families and communities.”
Boylan acknowledged that there is a need to rebuild Ireland’s defence forces and capabilities (“after they were run into the ground by successive government failures” she stated) but she added “this must not happen at the expense of our neutrality.”
Labour MEP Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said that the ramp-up in military spending should be paid for by the €300 billion in frozen Russian assets instead of dipping into the social services pot.
Ó Ríordáin said, “since Trump’s return to the White House, the unfolding disaster has brought us to a point that feels like a dystopian nightmare. The United States has gone rogue. The harsh reality is that we can no longer rely on America as a dependable defence partner.”
He conceded that “Europe has no choice but to step up; this will entail more defence spending in many EU countries, Ireland included.”
“Our defence forces have been underfunded and undervalued for decades. It is time we invested in them properly.”
Ó Ríordáin’s comments came with a caveat that EU military funding must not come at the expense of social services such as housing, healthcare and education.
“Ursula von der Leyen’s proposal to raid essential social cohesion funds for rearmament spending must be rejected. Draining this vital financial support for communities would be a gift to the far-right, alienating citizens from the European project,” he said.
He asserted, “the best way to weaken Putin is not by diverting much-needed funds from our own people, but by making him pay for the destruction his war has caused; we need an EU-wide decision to fully seize and redirect Russia’s €300 billion in frozen assets.
“The time for half measures is over. From East to West, autocrats are dismantling our global security. Europe must be bold, in both investing in its citizens and standing with Ukraine until the end. That is our moral and political duty. Defending Ukraine is defending democracy.”