They say that “crises” are good years for the arms industry. This is what the members of the Gasteikoak collective have explained to us, and this is what they say in the book These Wars are very ours that they published in 2016. “In times of crisis it is clear how spending in the military sphere increases with the reduction of social spending. Felipe González did so in the Government of Spain, and it meant the reactivation of the arms industry in the Basque Country. Subsequently José María Aznar did the same with the implementation of the Special Arms Programmes (PEAS)”. The book notes that in the creation of these Special Armaments Programmes, one of the main drivers was Pedro Morenés de Getxo, who had previously been an advisor to the company Sapa and was the Secretary of State for Defence. And that these programmes have generated public debt of over EUR 30 billion. “Currently, in addition to these Special Programmes, the State has joined the European Horizon 2020 Programme and companies are dedicated to exports.”

In 2017, in addition, Congress approved a big change, in the words of the Gasteikoak collective: “So far only part of military spending was included in government budgets, and over the year an additional 30 per cent was spent on Special Arms Programmes. I mean, they disguised military spending. This year, however, the entire item has been budgeted by the Government, thus increasing the budget of the Ministry of Defence by 30 per cent. It will have to be seen whether that is what is actually spent at the end of the year or whether it is more. Despite the crisis, unfortunately, the one-third increase in the Ministry of Defence budget has not sparked any debate.” A third of the total investment in R & D in the world in 2017 has been in the military sphere, which indicates what governments are betting on for the economic revival in the “crisis”.

The Special Programmes seek to renew or extend the Spanish Army's devices to promote the arms industry, which is an important contract for Basque companies. In Europe, the Horizon 2020 Programme plays a similar role: according to the official website, it aims at research and innovation to respond to societal challenges, and in practice, this general explanation is given, among many others, in the development of military devices. The photos show some of the devices that are performed within these Spanish and European programs. Only the most well-known, because in total there are many more.

And in the Basque Country? The Gasteiztarra group has warned that the line which the Basque and Navarro governments make to the Department of the Interior has not been reduced in any way: "At the time, the institutions said that ETA's violence was the reason to devote more and more resources. Officially, we have been at peace for 6 years and the Department of Interior has not been reduced.” Following the jihadist attacks in Catalonia, the group of Vitoria-Gasteiz suspects that in the name of "security" police control will be further increased, which will be carried out through the development of cutting-edge technology.

What does the Government say?

Law 14/2007, Charter of Justice and Solidarity with the Impoverished Countries, in its article 3 point 3, states: “In the policy of support and promotion of companies, the Basque Government will in no case cooperate with natural or legal persons engaged in the production, commercialization and financing of arms”. The Vitorian collective explains in his book These wars are very ours that, a week after the publication of this law in the official gazette, the grant of the Basque Government to Satala was made public “when the production of the saba is almost entirely military”.

In addition to subsidizing the Arcane companies, Lehendakari and the advisors have pointed out that “in the warm countries they make ambassadors”: “The Basque Government has been in Brazil, also in the Arab Emirates, in Colombia, and in Turkey. Of all the companies that go with it, there is one that produces weapons”, expanding contact networks for new markets: “Contracts appear after those trips.”

They pointed out that the involvement of the Basque Government in the production of arms was, first and foremost, more evident: “It has been, in some times, a shareholder of the ITP arms company.”

Another way for public institutions to promote the arms industry is the prestige of the leaders of the following companies: “They present us as exemplary entrepreneurs. Sendagorta family, owner of Sener, has been awarded with all kinds of awards, the ITP anniversary event was attended by Lehendakari Ibarretxe...”. The most crude example of the legitimacy of these entrepreneurs in society, those of Vitoria for the collective, is Jokin Aperribay, who in turn is president of Saba and Real.

The most prominent case to see the connection between political positions and arms companies is Sapa, which has given place in the company’s positions to the Gipuzkoan politicians of the time: Ramon Labayen, Mayor of San Sebastian; Francisco Asís Alonso, Deputy Mayor of San Sebastián; Justo Espín, Mayor of Andoain; and the last José Ignacio Asensio, Commercial Director of Saba until 2015 and currently a Deputy of Environment of the Provincial Council.

Collaborating with the UPV/EHU

On 7 September, and with the help of the Gasteikoak group, the University of the Basque Country collaborates in the development of R & D with the arms company ITP. The source of this information is Strategy Notebooks, edited by the Spanish Institute of Strategic Research (IEEE), a body of the Spanish Ministry of Defence. This strategy very clearly explains how universities collaborate with the arms industry: “This collaboration is formalized through agreements, either directly or in collaboration with technology centres. (...) Similarly, ITP collaborates with the UPV/EHU Technical School of Engineering, in which the Aeronautical Classrooms and Internship Scholarships are strongly promoted. In addition, this collaboration promotes doctoral theses, final career projects and laboratory activities with the School of Engineering of the University of Navarra. Among them we highlight the first edition of the ITP Conference of Technology Centres held in 2015 (...). The following entities collaborating with ITP were present in these days: Zamudio Aeronautical Technologies Center, CEIT-IK4, Universidad del País Vasco, Mondragon Unibertsitatea, Universidad Pública de Madrid and IMDEA Materials”.

On September 7, the Vitorian collective published another information, from which the news of the Official State Gazette of November 14, 2016 is derived: That the UPV/EHU has an agreement with the Ministry of Defense for the organization and development of days on security and defense. This is the result of the days he held in September of this year in the Summer Courses under the title Security and Defense in Europe.

In addition to the collaboration of the UPV/EHU with the arms company ITP and the Spanish Ministry of Defence, the Vitorian collective reported on 7 September last that the Governing Council, the main decision-making body of the UPV/EHU, approved the January Act, in which the UPV/EHU participates in the Spanish Aerospace Technological Platform. Three of the nine partners of this platform are: INTA, an autonomous body of the Ministry of Defence for R & D & I; TEDAE, management of the Spanish armero sector; and DGAM, Directorate General of Armaments and Material of the Ministry of Defence.

The job is sacred...

Both those who research for the arms industry and those who produce parts at the factory know sooner or later what they are working for, according to the members of the Vitorian collective. They remember one of those few cases in which they have refused to work and left the company, “and the rest of the workers decide to do the work day, bring a good salary home and not be proud of their work”. In his book These wars are very ours, he makes a ferocious criticism of the unions, who believe that their struggle is limited to improving the working conditions of the workers of the military companies.

They tell the bitter experience they had 20 years ago with the company Alavesa Expal: The Delás Peace Research Centre contacted the Gasteiztarra collective to work on the conversion of the company Expal. Delás was willing to finance the project, but the condition he placed was that the Expal employees participate in the process. Vitoria's was also considered necessary by the collective. They contacted the workers and were unable to participate in the project, as only 2-3 workers were prepared. “Why? In the case of conversion, the project replaced the salary of the employees with that of the employees of the administration, and it was three times lower.”

Although this attempt failed, those in Vitoria-Gasteiz confirm that this is the most reasonable solution: “Close smaller companies, look for another position for these workers and limit larger companies to civil activity.” They say it is feasible: “It is enough for public institutions to withdraw subsidies and aid of all kinds to companies with military activity.” They say that the unions would also have a fighting space: “In the convention, the recognition of labor objection as a right can work, that is, the right of workers to decide to work exclusively on civil projects of the company. This would open the debate in companies, opening the door to conversion processes.”

The only problem with looking the other way

For 26 years the Gasteiztarra group, which works on antimilitarism, has raised several questions throughout the interview to address the problem of the arms industry: Is it not the greatest contribution we can make against wars to stop producing and financing arms? Can we Basques continue to maintain our level of consumption without taking away resources from other countries through wars and weapons? Where there is no war, there is peace? How do we deconstruct deep-rooted militarist attitudes and values?

To encourage reflection in society, they have prepared a didactic unit to “clarify the hidden faces of militarism”, which will be worked on the 2nd and 3rd courses of the ESO. This course will be tested in several centres, and in view of the suggestions they receive, the next course will be made available to all centres.

We citizens can continue without asking us questions that make us look contradictory, with our gaze bent to one side. This reminded the BBVA director and shareholders that there is only one problem, María de Lluc Bagur, at the BBVA shareholders' meeting on 17 March 2017, on behalf of the following organizations: Delàs Center, Setem, Justícia i Pau, Globalization and Collective Debt Observatory RETS: “If you don’t care what your investments generate in the world, continue to be one of the world’s largest funders of armoury and militarization. You will certainly be richer, but you must know that your irresponsibility means that all of us, including you, live in an increasingly less secure world.”

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