Sinn Féin spokesperson for EU Affairs and TD for Dublin South West Seán Crowe has said that the EU budget proposal put forward under Ireland’s presidency of the EU is a shortsighted step that will have far reaching repercussions for the bloc if we allow a massive rearmament campaign to supplant our humanitarian role in developing world.

Teachta Crowe said:

“It is unthinkable that at such a time of conflict and dire humanitarian crises across the world that the EU would step back and focus on a massive rearmament and border control campaign while ignoring our obligation to work as a development partner in our sphere of influence. We should be working towards preventing conflict before it sparks, rather than building a wall around ourselves.

“The Oireachtas EU Affairs Committee agreed ahead of Ireland’s presidency of the EU that humanitarianism and peace building would be core priorities during our tenure. Now we see that Ireland is being guided by the so-called ‘frugal coalition’, who would rather spend money on arms than aid.

“If we make such severe cuts as 17% to the development budget and instead funnel the money into militarism and border controls, we are being shortsighted and naïve in the extreme. This is a mirror to the cuts in USAID that had a dire, even catastrophic, and destabilising impact on regions right across the world. It is not an example worth following.

“The EU has an obligation to be a development partner in our sphere of influence. We should not allow unstable regions to devolve into conflict. Conflict prevention and resolution and peacebuilding must be our first line of defence and the best way to ensure our long-term security.”