A majority of Dutch political parties are concerned about the use of armed drones for extrajudicial executions. This is one of the main outcomes of a political survey undertaken by PAX in advance of the national elections on 15 March.
The survey outlines how political parties in the Netherlands view various aspects of the complex drone debate, and shows both the differences and commonalities among parties. Although there is no single party opposing armed drones per se, the points of view differ significantly when it comes to the need and usefulness of acquiring armed drones for the Dutch armed forces. Where the Socialist Party (SP) calls for a moratorium on armed drones, other parties such as the Christian Democrats (CDA) and the Party for Freedom (PVV) want to speed up the acquisition process.
Almost all political parties plead for more stringent international export controls to ensure drones do not end up in the wrong hands. PAX calls for a broad discussion on the use of armed drones and the strengthening of international legal frameworks to push back against the current attempts by certain states to stretch these principles.
See Excecutive Summary in English (the survey, Drones Achter de Dijken, in Dutch)
PAX’s work on armed drones
Download the Call to Action by the European Forum on Armed Drones. PAX coordinates the forum