World BEYOND War Joins Stop ReArm Europe Mobilisation In Brussels

By Annachiara Canetta, World BEYOND War, June 17, 2026

Last Sunday, World BEYOND War joined 12,000 people in taking the streets of Brussels to call on EU and national decision-makers to invest in welfare, not warfare.

As part of the Stop ReArm Europe coalition, comprising more than 800 civil society organisations, social movements and trade unions, we urged Members of the European Parliament to reject the allocation of €131 billion to “defence”, militarised security, and space while cutting social and cohesion funding.

This same budget could pay for:

• 300.000 nurses salaries
• 500.000 modern social housing units
• over 5 times the minimum €25 billion for humanitarian aid asked by NGOs

Here you can find more information about EU Military Spending until 2027 and Military and related spending in the MFF 2028–34 proposal, two factsheets published by TNI, ENAAT and Stop Wapenhandel in view of the “Security for Whom?” Workshop in which WBW also participated on June 15th. As a result of the gathering, more than 40 organisations signed this Open Letter urging EU decision-makers to reject the military budget surge and invest in human security instead.

The weekend was a powerful and inspiring moment of unity, from marching through the streets of Brussels to hearing from the diverse movements gathered at the Stop ReArm Assembly. Representatives from the school strikes against conscription, local Palestine solidarity movements, international trade union networks, feminist collectives, climate justice groups, and many more, shared a common space and direction. It marked the beginning of a path of a Europe that chooses well-being over weapons, and solidarity over austerity.