Germany: Weapons exports significantly decrease under Gabriel

[unhappycamper]

http://www.dw.de/weapons-exports-significantly-decrease-under-gabriel/a-18244157

Economic Affairs Minister Sigmar Gabriel has called Germany's role in the global weapons trade a "disgrace." His stance has resulted in a clear reduction of export licenses, and therefore profits, for the arms industry.

Weapons exports significantly decrease under Gabriel
09.02.2015

The number of licenses granted for military equipment exports has decreased significantly under Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, according to a report by Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung on Monday. The Social Democrat, who is also economic affairs minister, had promised upon taking office in 2013 to reduce Germany's role in the global weapons trade.

"It is a disgrace that Germany is one of the largest weapons exporters in the world," he said last year, around the time he blocked the delivery of up to 800 Leopard 2 battle tanks to Saudi Arabia by refusing to grant licenses for the essential German parts needed for a Spanish firm to build the tanks.

Falling revenues under Gabriel

The revenue brought in from the weapons exports licenses was 3.97 billion euros in 2014, down from 5.8 billion in 2013, according to the report, based on information that the opposition Left party had requested from the Economic Affairs ministry. Even so-called collective licenses granted for politically unproblematic exports fell in value in 2014, down to 6.52 billion euro, through the proportion of grants to requests for non-EU and non-NATO countries remained constant, at 60 percent.

The weapons had boomed under Christian Democrat (CDU) Chancellor Angela Merkel and her former coalition partners in the neoliberal Free Democratic Party, but Gabriel has taken up the cause of reducing arms exports, citing his party's coalition agreement with the CDU when faced with criticism.