European Network Against Arms Trade

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The countries of Europe are significant arms exporters. Armies fight with European weapons in arenas of war all over the world. The bestsellers include: British fighter jets, Dutch military electronics, German submarines, French missiles, Czech tanks, Spanish munitions. Those are just a few examples.
Other countries with less significant arms production still have a share in the weapons trade however: Denmark and Portugal ship European weapons everywhere in the world, the Swiss banks finance huge arms deals.
European weapons are used against the Kurds in Kurdistan, by the Indonesian army against the population of East Timor, and in civil wars such as in Yugoslavia.
European arms firms supplied weapons to the warring countries Iran and Iraq in the first Gulf war, and made sure that Iraq later became a military superpower in the Middle East.
Supplying Iraq for example, in no way prevents European companies from having close military contacts with Israel. European arms companies receive orders from all corners of the earth.
European countries, however, do not only earn money from arms exports. For years Third World countries have built up their own arms industries supported by western technology and the export of whole arms factories.
The war between the allied armies and Iraq in 1991 would not have been possible without the supply of missile factories, poison gas production plants and war technology from Europe.
The deliberate genocide of the Kurds would not be conceivable without European arms exports to Turkey. Europe, arms export and war are inextricably linked.

Arms producers in cooperation
There are different laws governing the export of armaments and weapons in each individual European country. If national laws were adhered to, arms exports could be restricted. In practice however, things are different.
Although the governments of many European countries have enough scope within the framework of their respective legislation to withhold licences for arms exports applied for by companies, in practice the licences are almost always granted because the decision-making process is purely an administrative one with very little political control.
When trade barriers within the Common Market are abolished, there is a danger that the political will and the practice, of European governments will not change.
European arms producers are practicising a very close cooperation within the framework of the interoperability of the arms systems with regard to the new European military role.
Today the common development, production and the export of the European arms industry is a reality. The arms industry - as well as the arms lobby - is organised Europe-wide.
That is why European initiatives, groups and individuals founded the "European Network against Arms Trade" in 1984. Groups working against arms production and export have been meeting regularly in the Network since. They are structured and organized differently and vary in their way of going about things, but have this in common:
The goal of stopping arms production in Europe and of stopping arms export in general.

Actions against arms
ENAAT has set itself the tasks of monitoring European military cooperation and of exchanging information, which is then put to use in education, political action and public relations work.
The Network worked together against Eurosatory, a European military trade fair in Paris, organized a petition-signing and protests.
The Network is open to new groups working on a national level, and especially welcomes the cooperation of the countries of Eastern Europe.
Those who would like to offer financial support to the work of the Network are
urged to do so. The groups from Eastern Europe especially, have only meagre
financial means to cover general costs or travelling costs. If you want to support the Network, please contact one of the member groups.
The Network meets twice yearly. Information about the arms industry, about co-production and arms planning on a national or European level are available from the Network. Contact your national groups.
The activities of the European groups working against arms exports are many and varied. Further information is available from the member groups.

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Contact groups

Belgium:

International Peace Information Service (IPIS)
Italielei 98a, B 2000 Antwerpen
Tel 32-3-225 00 22, Fax 32-3-225 07 99

Forum voor Vredesaktie, vzw
Van Elewijckstraat 35, 1050 Brussel
Tel 32-2-64 87583, Fax 32-3-6400774

CFSR:

Slovak Union for Peace and Human Rights
PSC, 811 05 Bratislava, Stefnikova 8
Tel 42-7-497461, Fax 42-7-497461

Denmark:

Aldrig Mere Krig
Nørremarksvej 4, 6880 Tarm
Tel 45-192062 3163. Fax 45-4291 6967

France:

Campagne d'Opposition aux Ventes d'Armes (COVA)
18, rue Victor Mass , F 75009 Paris
Tel 33-1-42562449, Fax 33-1 425681

Centre de Documentation et de Recherche
sur la Paix et les Conflits
BP 1027, F 69201 Lyon Cedex 01
Tel 33-7-78369303, Fax 33-7-78363683

Germany:

Kampagne gegen Rüstungsexport
Bismarckring 3, D 65185 Wiesbaden
Tel 49-611-1991 02350, Fax 49-611-37 1838

BUKO-Kampagne "Stoppt den Rüstungsexport"
Buchtstr. 14/15, D 28195 Bremen 1
Tel 49-421-32 60 45, Fax 49-421-33 78177

Netherlands:

Anti-Militaristies Onderzoekskollektief (AMOK)
Esdoornstraat 14, NL 3551 AJ Utrecht
Tel 31-30-44 21 22, Fax 31-30-44 17 83

Pax Christi Nederland
Postbus 19318, NL 3501 DH Utrecht
Tel 31-30-33-33-46, Fax 36-81-1999

Spain/Catalonia:

Campanya Contra el Comerc d'Armes (C3A)
C../Rivadeneyra 6, E 08 002 Barcelona
Tel 34-3-317 61 77, Fax 34-3-412 53 84

Sweden:

The Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society (SPAS)
Box 17515, S 11891 Stockholm
Tel 46-8-68 02 00, Fax 46-8-668-1870

Switzerland:

Schweizerischer Friedensrat
Postfach 6368, CH 8023 Zrich
Tel 41-1-2428528, Fax 41-1-2412926

Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Rüstungskontrolle
Postfach 120, CH 3000 Bern 6
Tel 41-31-22 71 22, Fax 41 31 22 77 94

United Kingdom:

Campaign Against Arms Trade
11 Goodwin Street, Finsbury Park, London N4 3HQ
Tel 44-71-281 0297, Fax 44-71-281 0297


International Organisations:

International Peace Bureau
Rue de Zurich 41, CH 1201 Geneva
Tel 41-22-731 64 29, Fax 41-22-7 38 94 19

NATO Alert Network
rue Stevin 115, B 1040 Brussels
Tel 32-2-230 07 32, Fax 32-2-230 03 48

Quakers Council for European Affairs
50, Square Ambiorix, B 1040 Brussels
Tel 32-2-23-04-19935, Fax 32-2-23-01-370

Quakers United Nations Office
13 Av. du Mervelet, CH 1209 Geneve
Tel 41-22-733-3397, Fax 41-22-734-200015

The European Network against Arms Trade
c/o AMOK
Esdoornstraat 14, NL 3551 AJ Utrecht
Tel 31-30-44 21 22, Fax 31-30-44 17 83

Read more on www.antenna.nl/enaat.