Brace for nuclear proliferation

By Georgi Gotev | @GeorgiGotev

International law prohibits nuclear proliferation, but with Vladimir Putin consistently banalising the recourse to nuclear weapons and Donald Trump casting doubts on NATO’s reliability, some countries may be tempted to build their own nuclear arsenals.

Nuclear non-proliferation aims to halt the spread of nuclear weapons, fissionable material, and weapons-applicable nuclear technology to countries other than the five recognised nuclear powers: the USA, the then-USSR succeeded by Russia, France, the UK, and China.

Largely, nuclear non-proliferation was initially aimed at preventing Germany, the country that ignited World War Two, from developing a nuclear arsenal. Hitler’s Germany was working on a nuclear program, and had it been more advanced, today’s world might look a little bit different.

This is why it is surprising how candid the calls for creating a European nuclear arsenal sound, coming from the SDP lead candidate in Germany ahead of the European elections.

Admittedly, Katarina Barley, also vice-president of the European Parliament, spoke about a possible EU capability, not a German arsenal.

But in Poland, a high military official, Brigadier General Jaroslaw Kraszewski, said that if Warsaw had nuclear weapons, it would deter possible aggression because “those who possess nuclear capabilities have a very high level of security”.

The European Commission cut its growth outlook for both Europe and the eurozone on Thursday, revising it down from its autumn projection amid persistent geopolitical headwinds and stubborn economic headaches in Germany.

Companies making claims like “eco” and “green” will need to send them for prior verification before using them or face fines of “at least at 4% of their annual turnover”, according to a draft EU law voted on in the European Parliament on Wednesday.

The French parliament’s European affairs committee adopted on Wednesday a European resolution tabled by Nicolas Thierry calling for a revised REACH regulation on hazardous chemicals in everyday products.

The EU’s energy commissioner, Kadri Simson, has urged France to raise its renewable energy target to “at least 44%” by 2030, warning it would consider taking “steps” at EU level in case of persistent shortcomings.

The European Parliament’s environment committee voted on Wednesday in favour of EU targets to reduce food waste and an obligation on the textile industry to pay for the trash it generates.

French cereal producers are calling on the government to use all its weight at forthcoming meetings to make the EU introduce safeguard clauses to protect the sector from Ukrainian imports, like those granted for poultry and sugar.

The European Parliament’s environment committee has greenlit a new law to drastically reduce the number of newly sold diesel trucks in Europe, after a deal with Germany was struck between EU ambassadors last Friday.

The liberal centrists in the European Parliament, already torn by internal rifts, have a new dilemma: the presence of Czech business mogul Andrej Babiš’s increasingly conservative ANO party, which counters their core values but may bring valuable seats in the EU elections.

Europe’s commitment to bolster its defence industry will not become autonomy overnight, but it is necessary to start now, Belgium’s Defence Minister Ludivine Dedonder told Euractiv, as pressure mounts for the ‘old continent’ to step up its security.

The European Commission’s submarine cable recommendation, seen by Euractiv, suggests phasing out risky providers of telecom subsea cables but does not propose any new form of financial assistance.

The European Commission has warned Bratislava that it could face a fine or a complete suspension of European funds, as the government’s reform of the penal code could potentially affect the country’s compliance with EU directives, according to two letters seen by Euractiv Slovakia.

Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told Euractiv on Thursday that a decision by his successor Volodymyr Zelenskyy to prevent him from attending the Munich Security Conference (MSC) was “an offence to democracy”.

NATO’s European members have embarked on a mission to prove they are stepping up their burden-sharing efforts, in a bid to preempt the risks of a new Donald Trump presidency and preserve the alliance’s unity in the face of the most serious security challenges since World War Two.

Last but not least, check out this week’s edition of the EU Elections Decoded.

Look out for…

• Munich Security Conference on Friday-Sunday.
• Commissioner Ylva Johansson speaks at panel ‘A Rocky Route: Managing Global Refugee Flows’ in Munich on Friday.
• Vice-President Margaritis Schinas meets with North Macedonia PM Xhaferi Talat in Munich on Friday.

Views are the author’s

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic/Alice Taylor]