Peace Brigades International has signed this joint letter that calls on the European Council “to oppose the increase in the EU military budget and to ensure that taxpayers’ money is invested in what really protects people: health, housing, education, human rights, peacebuilding, the environment and social welfare.”
The letter says: “We urge Members of the European Parliament and EU governments to: Reject the proposal to allocate 131,000 million euros to defence, security and space in the MFF 2028-2034 and stop the militarisation of the EU budget.”
The €131 billion allocation for 2028-2034 would be an increase from the €28.97 billion allocated for 2021-2027.
It also calls on Members of the European Parliament and European Union governments to: “Create a binding exclusion framework based on human rights, environmental protection and due diligence for EU funding, preventing public money from going to companies involved in war crimes, occupation, repression, genocide, environmental destruction or serious human rights violations.”
The European Council, comprised of the heads of state or government of European Union countries, European Council President, the European Commission President, met on June 18-19, 2026, in Brussels to discuss an allocation of €131 billion to “armament and space” in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF 2028–2034).
PBI-Canada takes note of this because on May 20, 2026, the European Parliament formally welcomed Canada into the defence borrowing and procurement agreement known as Security Action for Europe (SAFE). The €150 billion program grants preferential access to military contracts financed through low-interest loans. In reference to European military spending, Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty describes Europe as a “major marketplace for us.”
A final agreement on the MFF is expected before the end of the year. On June 26, 2026, the European Council noted: “MFF 2028-2034: Council agrees partial position on new framework to monitor and evaluate the EU budget”.
Insight EU Monitoring also noted: “EU leaders discussed the EU’s next long-term budget, also known as the multiannual financial framework (MFF), based on the negotiation box with figures presented by the Cyprus presidency. They called on the incoming Irish presidency to advance work by the European Council meeting on 15 October 2026. …EU leaders [also] welcomed increased national defence spending and progress across priority capability areas, particularly drone and counter-drone systems, early warning, air defence and long-range precision strike capabilities.”
We continue to follow this.
