23/05/2025 Standing Committee
Opening a current affairs debate on the role of parliamentarians in safeguarding investment in human rights and democracy amid rising military expenditure, taking place during a meeting of the PACE Standing Committee in Malta, Andrej Hunko (Germany, UEL) said that the new emphasis on defence spending in Europe should not take place at the expense of social programmes.
“What’s the role of MPs in this new era in which we find ourselves? Firstly, we in all parliaments must call for maximum transparency on how this money is being used, where it’s going. Secondly, we must make sure these investments in defence do not take place at the expense of social support,” Mr Hunko said, citing Eisenhower’s 1961 warning over the influence of “the military-industrial complex”.
Some ten other members of the Standing Committee also contributed to the debate.