Let us disarm our state budgets

Global military spending has risen to 1.738 trillion dollars in 2017, with an increase of 1.1% since 2016. States do not meet the 0.7% development budget criteria of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development of the United Nations. States prioritize militarism (high defense budgets, arms trade, investment in new armament and weapons, military operations in third countries, creation of military bases), above human needs (health, education, subsidies and dole, civil research and housing, to name a few) ) and deprive us of our right to decide what to do with our taxes.

Activists in Spain have started a signatures campaign (this is the campaign, in Spanish) to ask for a redirection of military funds to human needs in Spain.

The proposed 2018 Spanish state Budget includes an increase in military spending of 10.5% with respect to 2017.

In addition, the Spanish military policy continues to be characterized by its lack of transparency, by hiding military expenditures in items from other ministries such as Foreign, Interior and Industry. The actual total expenditure with these items in the 2018 General State Budget amounts 18,544 million euros. Read this Report for further details.

From 2008 to 2017, in a context of economic crisis, real military spending has been the second budget item having least cut, behind health care. Expenditures on education, culture, promotion of work, civil research and others have suffered much greater cuts.

In addition, the Spanish Council of Ministers of December 14, 2018 approved three weapon programs totaling 7,331 million euros, according to sources from the Spanish Ministry of Defense. It involves the construction of five F-110 frigates between 2019 and 2032 with a cost of 4,325 million, the acquisition of 348 8x8vehicles to be delivered until the year 2025 with a cost of 2,100 million; and the update of the Eurofighter combat aircraft with a cost of 906 million euros. The Spanish government claims that the investment of these 7,331 million in weapon programs will create a total of 8,500 jobs.

We must put an end to the business of war, and to the budgets that feed it. We encourage you to start similar signature campaigns in your countries, asking for a redirection of military funds to human needs.

More information on the Spanish campaign (in Spanish): https://www.change.org/p/ministra-de-defensa-margarita-desarmemos-los-presupuestos?recruiter=525705398&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=copylink&utm_campaign=share_petition