Policy recommendations

  • All EU Member Sates should work towards an effective new Arms Trade Treaty and towards a new international instrument for the control over brokers. All EU Member States should implement extra-territorial legislation that enables them to control European brokers¡¦ operations from abroad;
  • The EU should adopt a legally binding Common Position on arms trade without any further delay, thereby making the Code of Conduct (CoC) a legally binding instrument;
  • The EU should strengthen the Code of Conduct so that all EU Member States are required to control all transit, are required to apply the CoC criteria for licensed production overseas or subsidiaries, and are required to demand end-user certificates and control over the re-transfer of their arms;
  • The EU should guarantee a more effective use of criterion 8 of the EU-Code of Conduct that takes greater account of the economic situation in the receiving country. This criterion should be redefined in such a way that Member States will only be able to permit a transfer if it can be ensured that the transfer will not harm sustainable development and the applicant/recipient can identify a legitimate defence need for the specific transfer;
  • The EU should discuss high military spending in their bilateral dialogues with those countries that receive EU development aid with the aim of lowering these expenditures and using these funds for development goals;
  • The EU should work towards more coherent policies; the EU council and Commission work groups on arms control and development policies should regularly meet and discuss issues of common concern.

Case: Arms-trade Policies

27-01-2006 Written question MEPs: Arms Trade Treaty (ATT)

27 January 2006

In a written question MEPs Raül Romeva I Rueda (Verts/ALE), Ana Gomes (PSE), Girts Kristovski (UEN) AND Luisa Morgantini (GUE/NGL) asked the Council what measures the Council is planning to undertake in supporting the principles of the ATT and what steps it will take to bring the ATT’s implementation forwards.

Fair Politics EU monitors the efforts made by MEPs to address Policy Coherence for Development in their daily political activities. The MEPs’ question to the Council underlines the importance of policy coherence on the subject of biofuels. They urge the Council to be coherent in its actions. For this action, MEPs Raül Romeva I Rueda (Verts/ALE), Ana Gomes (PSE), Girts Kristovski (UEN) and Luisa Morgantini (GUE/NGL) were awarded a coherence star.

Full question can be read below

There are around 639 million small arms and light weapons in the world today. Eight million more are produced every year. Without strict control, such weapons will continue to fuel violent conflict, state repression, crime, and domestic abuse. Unless governments act to stop the spread of arms, more lives will be lost, more human rights violations will take place, and more people will be denied the chance to escape poverty.

There is currently an ongoing debate in the international community concerning the adoption of a global Arms Trade Treaty. A global Arms Trade Treaty would call on states to agree on a set of global principles on arms transfers, consistent with their existing responsibility and under relevant international law, including authorisation for all transfers, limitations on transfers contained in treaties and UN arms embargoes, a requirement not to transfer weapons that are likely to contribute to grave human rights violations or war crimes against humanity, or that are likely to contribute to outbreak or escalation of armed conflict and other safeguards based on respect for existing international law. In short, it would create legally binding arms controls and ensure that all governments control arms to the same basic international standards.

There are now in total over 40 countries which have publicly stated support for the ATT, and more who have made strong statements around the need for a legally binding agreement on arms transfers. The EU has publicly announced its support for the ATT as well.

1. What measures is the Council planning to undertake in clarifying its position on the ATT?

2. What measures is the Council planning to undertake in supporting the principles of the ATT?

3. What steps will the Council take to bring the ATT's implementation forwards in the course of 2006?

More information?

Visit the website of the European Parliament