Mr President,
Colleagues,
The illegal trade in arms and the irresponsible export control policies of some governments fuel conflicts all over the world, undermine respect for human rights and promote crime and terrorism. They prevent whole regions from achieving sustainable development.
Against this background, it was proposed a few years ago that global principles for the transfer of arms should be laid down in a legally binding agreement – this idea led to the Arms Trade Treaty or ATT. The EU Member States have supported a treaty of this kind from the very start. The current EU Council Presidency also attaches great value to this process. On 18 June, the General Affairs and External Relations Council reiterated the importance of an arms trade treaty.
I was delighted that Mr Romeva i Rueda, the European Parliament's rapporteur for the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports, was able to take up the Presidency's invitation to participate in an informal seminar of the COARM working group in Berlin at the beginning of January. Here he gave a comprehensive portrayal of the European Parliament's views on a global arms trade treaty. The Presidency shares Mr Romeva's opinion that a treaty of this kind is extremely important if the trade in arms worldwide is to be subject to legally-binding and responsible rules.
The adoption of Resolution 61/89 by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 6 December 2006 marked an important step. The Resolution calls upon the Secretary-General to seek the views of UN Member States and to establish a group of experts by 2008 at the latest. The group's task will be to examine the feasibility, scope and draft parameters for such a treaty. Numerous EU Member States were involved in drawing up the Resolution in the run-up to the General Assembly and campaigned for its adoption in meetings with third countries.
Around 80 countries have so far responded to the UN Secretary-General's request for views, including all of the EU Member States. The Council Presidency has submitted a separate response to the Secretary-General, highlighting the EU Code of Conduct as a positive example of international cooperation in the field of arms export control and expressing the EU's support for an arms trade treaty. The Presidency will continue – together with other EU Member States – to advocate the submission of national papers. A large number of positive responses is vital in order to demonstrate the global support which the project enjoys.
It is also vital, if the treaty is to succeed, to guarantee the participation of not only all major exporters of arms products, but also their importers. The United Nations is the right forum for these negotiations.
Allow me to comment, by way of an example, on two topic areas to which the expert group must pay special attention so as to ensure the effective functioning of a treaty of this kind:
The scope of application of the treaty must be broken down in detail. For this reason, it will need its own control list. This should not be limited to the categories of the UN Arms Register alone, but must also encompass small arms and light weapons, ammunition and MANPADS. Production equipment and technology should also be appropriately taken into account.
The Treaty must also contain an extensive list of criteria to be taken into account when making decisions on exports. These should include, among others, the observance of arms embargos, the respect of human rights in the country of destination, the preservation of regional stability, the prevention of internal or regional conflicts, the promotion of sustainable development and the prevention of undesired re-routing of the goods in question.
Numerous regional organizations have already addressed these issues. The European Union's Code of Conduct is the most developed international instrument for the control of arms exports. The EU may thus claim to have particular experience in this area. At the same time, however, it must avoid giving the impression that it wants to force the EU Code of Conduct upon other UN Member States. There is ultimately a remarkable amount of support for this project in all parts of the world at the present time. However, the European Union, which comprises some of the most important exporting countries, has a particular responsibility for this process.
Allow me also to pay a special tribute to the role of civil society. Non-governmental organizations, academics and the media play a significant role in convincing reluctant governments of the need for an arms trade treaty. These groups have provided valuable ideas and inputs from the very start, and I would encourage them to participate actively in this process in future.
The Presidency is pleased to note that the European Parliament has expressed its support for concluding an international arms trade treaty on several occasions, and that it is using its interparliamentary contacts to this end. I was most interested to read the latest draft resolution, and I expressly welcome the serious proposals. I very much hope that we will be able to continue and extend the intensive dialogue with the European Parliament on this issue.
