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Post Brexit EU will spend 'stability and peace' budget funding Chinese war drones

Instrument Contributing to Stability and Peace? Whatever

The European Union wants to spend part of its “peace building” overseas aid budget on equipping African and Middle Eastern countries' armed forces, according to reports – which could include the provision of Chinese-built drones.

The Financial Times reported yesterday that Brussels bureaucrats are planning to amend the rules of the bloc's “Instrument Contributing to Stability and Peace” (ICSP) to allow its funds to be handed to militaries in the region.

According to the FT, ICSP funds are typically spent on programmes such as providing maternity healthcare in Syria. The EU Commission, however, has tabled a proposal to allow ICSP money to “be used to build the capacity of military actors in partner countries”.

The EU itself says ICSP funds are currently spent on laudable things such as the “fight against organised crime”, “countering terrorism”, and “CBRN [chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapon] risk mitigation”.

Instead, if the rule change – reportedly lobbied for heavily by EU member states – goes through, EU taxpayers could find themselves funding things such as Egypt's Chinese-made CH-4 attack drones, an external copy of the US MQ-9 Reaper, as used for bombing the latest foreign enemy du jour. Egypt is a current recipient of funding through the ICSP programme.

Another recipient of EU ICSP largesse is Syria, whose official government is thought to be able to muster around 200 BM-21 Grad (“hail”) multiple launch rocket system vehicles. These are a 1960s version of the old Russian Second World War-era Katyusha missile launchers and fire a volley of up to 40 unguided rockets onto targets within a 12-mile (19km) radius. However, Egyptian updates to the old technology extend their range to 22 miles (34km) and incorporate cluster warheads – banned from use by the West after sustained lobbying efforts from, amongst others, the late Princess Diana.

Yet another recipient of ICSP funds is Ethiopia – which in March this year received a cash injection of £15m (€18m) from the ICSP pot. As well as suffering numerous well-documented economic problems – which, in fairness, it is beginning to overcome at long last – Ethiopia borders the volatile Sudan region.

Ongoing conflicts over the secession of South Sudan from the main country, as well as existing regional instability, means the west of Ethiopia is racked with conflicts. Despite that, however, Ethiopia's air force can muster around a dozen Russian-built Su-27 Flanker jet fighters. These hi-tech beasts of the sky were cutting-edge technology at the fall of the Soviet Union and are still feared aerial adversaries today, being operated by a number of Russian-influenced states around the world.

The Flanker is capable of launching a variety of sophisticated air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, including anti-radar and anti-ship missiles. Hardly the sort of operation you'd expect to be financed by a fund dedicated to “capacity-building of organisations engaged in crisis response and peace-building.”

On the other hand, doubtless EU taxpayers will be happy to support, say, Kenya buying more German-built Grob G-120 light training aircraft for their air force, or Nigeria bringing her two currently unusable Italian-built Lerici-class minesweeper ships back into service. Trebles all round! ®

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