there would be less money for the military, more money for food and healthcare and less waste of resources in general
I think you are wrong. In Europe, the situation is vice versa: the ruling polititians did all they could to de-militarize their countries (until last several months maybe), while in Switzerland, several times people voted for keeping conscription.
Switzerland could be the exception, let us remember it is not part of the European Union after all, they have their own currency and politics, but due to their geographical location they are pretty much forced to interact with the policies of the rest of the continent.
Also, if Europe has started to get back to the arms it is pretty much because Brussels has realized how unreliable and inconsistent Washington can be in terms of defense and support to NATO, they have a very aggressive neighbor in the east and the United States is an Ocean far away from the conflict, though. So it makes sense they want to feel better prepared in case something happens.