The militarization of Europe is advancing rapidly, with everything from public budgets to media narratives increasingly shaped by a war-driven logic. This was one of the key warnings raised by trade unionists, left politicians, and peace activists during a discussion organized by the International Peace Bureau and the No to War – No to NATO network.
At the level of the European Union, Belgian MEP Marc Botenga warned that existing rules and safeguards are being pushed aside to accelerate the new military-industrial strategy. He pointed to recent discussions around so-called omnibus legislative packages, particularly proposals designed to ease the operations of the arms industry at the expense of labor rights, environmental protections, and social welfare systems. All measures introduced under what he described as a militarization of rules agenda carry clear social consequences, Botenga said – yet top EU officials are silent on this dimension of the plans they are championing.
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Regulations are not the only thing being reshaped: people’s minds are also being militarized, agreed German trade unionist Ulrike Eifler. She emphasized the Merz government’s push to meet NATO’s 5% spending target by 2029 and to make Germany “war-ready” by the same time. Under this agenda, she added, militaristic thinking is being normalized across society, including in everyday public spaces such as swimming pools and schools. In some German regions, Eifler pointed out, teachers are already being pushed to invite soldiers into classrooms, presumably to familiarize students with prospects of a military career.
At the same time, Eifler and Botenga both pointed out, social and welfare systems are already facing the impact of cuts made to accommodate rising defense expenditures. “Every euro they’ve given to the military is already missing from social justice,” Eifler said. If the government continues on its current path, she added, analysts from Germany’s largest public-sector union, ver.di, believe social funds could be effectively depleted as early as next year. The process will be accompanied by longer working hours and less free time for workers – further proof, she argued, that every war, and every preparation for war, is nothing less than an “intensified class attack.”
Read more: Students on strike against military service: “You’re not a coward if you don’t want to die for Germany!”
However, resistance to war is also gaining momentum. Students, trade unions, and other groups are increasingly looking at what a fully militarized Europe would mean for their lives and livelihoods, and are beginning to organize in response. In Germany, tens of thousands of students are preparing new strikes against the possibility of military conscription. Meanwhile, in Britain, trade unions have made notable advances in pushing back against militarization within their own ranks.
Alex Gordon, co-president of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and co-author of the “Alternative Defense Review,” described how British unions successfully challenged “arms and butter” resolutions adopted by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in 2022. By confronting narratives rooted in military Keynesianism, the University and College Union (UCU) helped halt these plans, ensuring that a significant section of the organized labor movement backs policies that benefit the working class rather than arms producers.
With Botenga warning that Europe’s militarization drive is unfolding over months rather than years, participants emphasized that expanding such resistance is essential – not only to stop the current trajectory, but also to redefine the purpose of the EU and the entire region.
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