THE EUROPEAN – SECURITY AND DEFENCE UNION
Preservation of security and defence in Europe is essential for upholding our values
How to harmonise defence, security and sustainability on a European scale by Dr Hans Christoph Atzpodien, Managing Director of the Federation of German Security and Defence Industries e.V. (BDSV), Berlin
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n the current European debate, our security requirements and need to defend ourselves are not commonly acknowledged as indispensable prerequisites for sustainability. Part of the reason for this is that, among the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, Goal no.16 is understood as our obligation to export our values to developing countries. However, it is not perceived as addressing our own security needs. Although the UN Resolution 70/1 of 25th September 2015 rightly points out that, “there can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development”, the task of maintaining peace and security in Europe has not yet been properly reflected in the 17 sustainability goals, neither at the level of the EU nor in the German Sustainability Strategy of 2021.
The Green Deal does not focus on security
companies are supplying equipment to armed forces or other security agencies in EU or NATO countries. Furthermore, banks are refusing normal services (such as guarantees and loans) to these companies. There are widespread examples of this kind of refusal, especially to SMEs. Finally, the assets of security and defence companies are frequently excluded from sustainability funds which means that the value of security-related corporate assets has been constantly deteriorating.
Disregarding soldiers by creating taboos As the criteria for measuring sustainability remain unclear and inconsistent, a strong influence is exerted on banks, insurance companies and their professional advisors by the fashionable view, widespread in European societies, that weapons, even for defence purposes, are unethical. Another example of this trend are so-called “civil clauses” as practised in several German universities, resulting in a ban on dealing with military and armament topics. Even in the case of the first German Federal “green” Bond issued in September 2020, the prospectus published by the Federal Government explicitly excluded from
Consequently, the EU Commission’s “Green Deal” does not focus on peace and security either. Triggered by the “Green Deal”, the EU Directive 2019/2088 on sustainability-related disclosure requirements in the financial Dr Hans Christoph Atzpodien services sector came into force in March has been the General Manager of the Federation of German 2021. However, there are no widely acknowlSecurity and Defence Industries (BDSV) in Berlin since 2017. edged sustainability criteria in place. Instead, He was born in 1955 and holds a Doctorate in Law from Bonn actors in the private financial sector, such University (1982). After being part of Otto Wolff AG's legal deas private banks and insurance companies, partment in Cologne (1982-1990), he joined Thyssen Industrie have been devising their own sustainability AG in Essen, where he held leading positions until 2017: among photo: private assessments, which – understandably – are others, CEO of the Transrapid Planning Process (1997-2001), driven more by reputational aspects and profChairman of the Executive Board of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (2009-2012) , itability goals than by public interest. Banks and prior to his current position he was the Chairman of ThyssenKrupp Industrial have also been quick to start terminating Solutions' Executive Board. their business relationships with security and defence-related companies, even if these
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