Date:29/05/18
The European Union could spend up to £440 million ($590 million) on killer robots that wage warfare without the need for human assistance.
Officially known as Lethal Autonomous Weapons (LAWs), the robots use artificial intelligence to target and kill enemies without human involvement.
Brussels has decided to allow bankrolling of the controversial machines through the EU defence fund despite MEPs' attempts to bar LAWs from the kitty.
The parliament had wanted to block EU subsidies of the weapons but conceded in talks on Tuesday in order to strike a compromise, two sources who were in the room told the EUObserver.
In an amendment adopted in February, MEPs had said the defence fund should not be used to bankroll weapons of mass destruction, anti-personnel landmines, cluster munitions or fully autonomous weapons like LAWs.
After this week's meeting the amendment was scrapped at the request of the council, sources said.
Instead the proposed regulation setting up the fund now states that projects it backs would not be eligible only if their weapon was 'prohibited by international law'.
The European Defence Fund was founded with an aim to boost the EU's military prowess with an eye on eventually developing military autonomy from the US.
In a paper published last September, British ministers expressed an interest in continuing the UK's contributions to the fund after Brexit.
The EU parliament's main negotiator, French MEP Francoise Grossetete hailed the new defence deal in a press statement sent on Wednesday.
'The all-European defence technological and industrial base, in particular our SMEs and mid-caps, will benefit from this programme in order to strengthen our strategic autonomy. Excellence and innovation will be the main drivers,' she said.
In a statement three Green MEPs - Max Andersson, Jan Philipp Albrecht and Bodil Valero - warned LAWs pose a risk to 'the future of mankind'.
They said: 'LAWs would remove human responsibility for the battlefield, with weapon systems making lethal decisions of their own accord.
'If widely spread, this would entail the largest military technological leap since the invention of nuclear weapons, creating existential risks for international peace and the future of humankind.
'Leading experts argue that LAWs should be prohibited internationally before they become widespread.'
Last year a group of 116 industry experts, including billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk, published an open letter calling for a global ban on autonomous robots.
They warned: 'We do not have long to act. Once this Pandora's box is opened, it will be hard to close.'
Europe could spend up to £440 million on KILLER ROBOTS that can go to war without human help
The European Union could spend up to £440 million ($590 million) on killer robots that wage warfare without the need for human assistance.Officially known as Lethal Autonomous Weapons (LAWs), the robots use artificial intelligence to target and kill enemies without human involvement.
Brussels has decided to allow bankrolling of the controversial machines through the EU defence fund despite MEPs' attempts to bar LAWs from the kitty.
The parliament had wanted to block EU subsidies of the weapons but conceded in talks on Tuesday in order to strike a compromise, two sources who were in the room told the EUObserver.
In an amendment adopted in February, MEPs had said the defence fund should not be used to bankroll weapons of mass destruction, anti-personnel landmines, cluster munitions or fully autonomous weapons like LAWs.
After this week's meeting the amendment was scrapped at the request of the council, sources said.
Instead the proposed regulation setting up the fund now states that projects it backs would not be eligible only if their weapon was 'prohibited by international law'.
The European Defence Fund was founded with an aim to boost the EU's military prowess with an eye on eventually developing military autonomy from the US.
In a paper published last September, British ministers expressed an interest in continuing the UK's contributions to the fund after Brexit.
The EU parliament's main negotiator, French MEP Francoise Grossetete hailed the new defence deal in a press statement sent on Wednesday.
'The all-European defence technological and industrial base, in particular our SMEs and mid-caps, will benefit from this programme in order to strengthen our strategic autonomy. Excellence and innovation will be the main drivers,' she said.
In a statement three Green MEPs - Max Andersson, Jan Philipp Albrecht and Bodil Valero - warned LAWs pose a risk to 'the future of mankind'.
They said: 'LAWs would remove human responsibility for the battlefield, with weapon systems making lethal decisions of their own accord.
'If widely spread, this would entail the largest military technological leap since the invention of nuclear weapons, creating existential risks for international peace and the future of humankind.
'Leading experts argue that LAWs should be prohibited internationally before they become widespread.'
Last year a group of 116 industry experts, including billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk, published an open letter calling for a global ban on autonomous robots.
They warned: 'We do not have long to act. Once this Pandora's box is opened, it will be hard to close.'
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