On 26 June 2025 took place in Brussels / Belgium the 2nd EZA snack debate on “Workers and social justice in a rearming Europe”. The event was organized as hybrid event by EZA and funded by the European Union.
The seminar gathered a focused audience of representatives of workers’ organisations, from Italy Belgium, France, Germany, Portugal, Poland, Serbia, Bulgaria, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic. About 20 participants gathered on site, other 25 participants attended online.
The seminar's most significant aspect was the critical reflection on the socio-political consequences of Europe's rearmament strategy, particularly in light of the new NATO defence spending target of 5% of GDP by 2035. It emphasized the trade-offs between military investment and social spending, questioning the coherence of EU priorities and values.
Held just days after the NATO Summit in The Hague on 24-25 June 2025, which reinforced ambitious defence spending goals, the event addressed urgent concerns about the EU's readiness strategy and the impact of measures like the SAFE mechanism and fiscal rule flexibility. It also responded to broader public debate about whether social justice is being sidelined in favour of military imperatives.
The following topic fields were discussed:
EU defence financing mechanisms (SAFE, EDF, national escape clause)
Risk of reduced social spending due to fiscal constraints
NATO vs. EU defence policy obligations
Employment potential and industrial conversion linked to defence spending
Tensions between EU peace project identity and militarisation
Governance challenges (e.g. democratic legitimacy of using Art. 122 TFEU)
Critique of cohesion funds being diverted to military use
Seminar results
Participants shared concern that Europe's rearmament, while driven by legitimate security needs, risks creating structural imbalances. There was consensus on the need for more democratic control, equitable burden-sharing, and transparent priorities.
No formal resolutions were adopted, but there was a shared call for stronger parliamentary oversight and social conditionality in military-related investments.
The participants demanded:
Broader application of budgetary flexibility to include social spending
Greater transparency and equity in EU defence funding mechanisms
Preservation of the EU’s founding values as a peace project
The organising stakeholders, including EZA and ACLI, will use the insights to advocate for policies that balance security and social justice. Trade unions and social partners present are expected to channel the seminar's conclusions into ongoing EU-level dialogues, particularly in the European Semester and cohesion policy reform processes.