In the case of the German arms exports a significant decline for the current year. Up to the 13. December were approved according to the Federal Ministry of the economy, exports of weapons and other military equipment to the value of 4.62 billion euros. In the entire previous year there were a total of 6.24 billion Euro.
The scope of the approved exports is expected to contract in order to 2018, for the third Time in a row. A growth there in 2015, then to a record level of 7,86 billion euros.
Despite the involvement in the Yemen war was Saudi Arabia with stores in the amount of 416 million euros, the fourth-largest customer of the German arms industry – Algeria (802 million euros), the USA (EUR 506 million) and Australia (432 million euros). The response of the Ministry of economy to a request from the Green party member of Parliament Omid Nouripour.
In the coalition agreement, the Federal government had decided in March of this year to supply no more arms to countries that are “directly” involved in the Yemen war. For already granted Preauthorization was, however, an exception. Saudi Arabia is leading a war Alliance of nine countries, the fighting in Yemen against the Iranian-supported Houthi rebels. In November, a complete export was imposed to stop against the Kingdom. Trigger the affair of the killing of the government-critical journalist Jamal Khashoggi the Saudi Consulate General in Istanbul.
Nouripour criticised that the Federal government exports continue on a large scale in authoritarian States and in areas of Tension have been approved. “Despite the announcements in the coalition agreement, the balance sheet of the export permits for this year is devastating,” said a member of the Green.
corporations threaten with damage claims
The Federation of German security and defence industry (BDSV), the more restrictive approval practice of the Federal government to States outside the European Union and Nato is partly responsible for the slump in arms exports. The German arms export policy was “unpredictable” and for customers and partner countries through surprising twists and turns, often not understandable, criticized BDSV-chief Executive Hans Christoph Atzpodien.
The Lobbyist, the big coalition called on in an Interview with the German press Agency, “pure political issues,” not to the detriment of the company. “Of course, compensation claims are also conceivable in this context,” he said.