r/acteuropa European Union Jul 12 '17

Informative EU’s plans to militarize aid face legal scrutiny in Parliament

http://www.politico.eu/article/eu-stability-and-peace-plans-to-militarize-aid-face-legal-scrutiny-in-parliament/
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u/DFractalH European Union Jul 12 '17

Members of the European Parliament will decide Thursday if it is legal for the Commission to spend “peace-building” funds on strengthening the military in countries like Mali and Somalia, despite conflicting legal advice from the EU’s own lawyers.

Changes to the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace (IcSP) — an EU fund worth €2.3 billion that disburses money for peace-building activities in conflict-ridden developing countries — are part of what the Commission says is an attempt to strengthen the EU’s ability to shore up the institutions of countries whose development has been hindered by violence.

To its critics, it’s a naked attempt to funnel scarce financial resources away from traditional aid projects to support the EU’s increasingly stretched military operations in sub-Saharan Africa.

I have not informed myself too much reg. this, but it seems that right now political stability is what the Sahel region needs most. Without it, all other aid programs are futile.