Israel stands to benefit from EU weapons funding

 

Will Israel’s weapons makers soon receive greater funding from the European Union?

Michael Mann, the EU’s ambassador in Tel Aviv, has dropped a strong hint that such a possibility is being considered.

He recently visited the Technion, an Israeli university which doubles up as a laboratory for the arms industry, where he took part in a panel discussion titled “The Dual Use Dilemma.” The term “dual use” refers to technology that has both military and civilian applications.

Nominally a public servant, Mann and his fellow EU officials do not want the public to know too much about their activities.

After I submitted a freedom of information request, the EU’s diplomatic service confirmed that Mann’s colleagues had prepared a briefing paper in preparation for his Technion trip.

According to the diplomatic service, “this document contains background information on ethical and accountability challenges in research and development, particularly in areas where technologies may have both civilian and military applications. This includes internal and preliminary considerations on the implications of dual use research, questions of responsibility in scientific innovation, and ways in which research institutions can uphold ethical standards, comply with human rights obligations, and maintain public trust during periods of national crisis.”

The diplomatic service then offered a few excuses for why the paper in question had to remain under wraps.

Among those excuses were that “exposing” internal assessments on Israel’s participation in EU-funded research activities “would be negatively perceived by Israel.” Releasing the paper “would also hinder the atmosphere of mutual trust necessary for open exchanges with Israeli authorities and academic institutions.”

The excuses are nauseating. Why do EU diplomats want to preserve an “atmosphere of mutual trust” with a state carrying out a genocide?  (more...)

Israel stands to benefit from EU weapons funding

I concluded my visit to Haifa with an important panel discussion on "The Dual-Use Dilemma: Ethics and Accountability in Israeli R&D" at @samuelneaman1 @TechnionLive. It was an open and constructive discussion with a group of impressive scholars from various disciplines. pic.twitter.com/u6LhkMS5bY

— Michael Mann (@MichaelMannEU) November 3, 2025