Portuguese GUE/NGL MEP João Ferreira has taken part in a European Parliament plenary debate on export controls of dual-use items.

The debate focused on how certain items manufactured in the EU, such as surveillance technology, can end up in the wrong hands when exported.

MEP Ferreira said: “This is not the first time we've debated dual-use export controls here; what we are talking about are serious instances of EU-made software and technologies being traded with governments for military use.”

He highlighted Israel as an example: EU technology was used by the Israeli Defence Forces in their latest deadly attack on Gaza.

“We need to look at the dual-use implications of joint projects and make sure that certain countries and firms are not given access to government funding,” he continued. “You can't solve the problem with the existing regulation or the proposed amendments that were requested today. What we need is a wider and more substantial approach.”