The overall objectives of this Decision are:

1. (a)

   to promote, among third countries, the criteria and principles of Common Position 2008/944/CFSP;

2. (b)

   to assist third countries in drafting and implementing legislation to ensure effective control of arms exports;

3. (c)

   to assist countries in the training of licensing officers to ensure adequate implementation and enforcement of arms export controls;

4. (d)

   to assist countries and regions in the elaboration of national and regional reports on arms exports and the promotion of other forms of scrutiny in order to promote transparency and accountability of arms exports;

5. (e)

   to encourage third countries to support the United Nations process aiming at the adoption of a legally binding international treaty establishing common standards for the global trade in conventional arms, and to assist in ensuring that they are in a position to comply with such possible common standards.

• Purpose:

  To provide technical assistance to interested third countries which have demonstrated a willingness to improve their standards and practices in the field of the control of exports of military technology and equipment, and to align their standards and practices to those agreed and applied by European Union Member States, and laid down in Common Position 2008/944/CFSP; and the accompanying User’s Guide.

• Descriptions and cost estimates:

  1. (i)

     Workshops with groups of countries

     The project will take the form of 5 two-day workshops to which government, customs and licensing officials from the selected group of countries will be invited. Representatives of the defence industry may also be invited. The workshops may take place in a beneficiary country or in another location determined by the HR. Training in relevant areas will be imparted by experts from EU Member States’ national administrations, from countries that have aligned themselves with Common Position 2008/944/CFSP; from the EU Council Secretariat and/or from the private sector (including NGOs).

  2. (ii)

     Staff exchanges

     The project will take the form of a maximum of four up to one-month working or study visits of government and/or licensing officials from beneficiary EU candidate countries to the relevant authorities of EU Member States or a maximum of four up to one-month working or study visits of government and/or licensing officials from EU Member States to the relevant authorities of beneficiary countries3.

The total estimated duration of the implementation of the projects will be 24 months.

• First semester 2010:

  1. (i)

     The Western Balkan countries (Albania; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Croatia; the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; Montenegro and Serbia)

  2. (ii)

     The North African Mediterranean partners of the European Neighbourhood Policy (Algeria; Egypt; Libya; Morocco and Tunisia)

• Second semester 2010:

  The Eastern European and Caucasian partners of the European Neighbourhood Policy (Armenia; Azerbaijan; Belarus; Georgia; Moldova and Ukraine)

• First semester 2011:

  The Western Balkan countries (Albania; Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia; the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; Montenegro and Serbia)

• Second semester 2011:

  The Eastern European and Caucasian partners of the European Neighbourhood Policy (Armenia; Azerbaijan; Belarus; Georgia; Moldova and Ukraine)

If unforeseen circumstances make it necessary to amend the list of beneficiaries or the timing of the workshops, the Working Party on Conventional Arms Exports (COARM) may, upon a proposal from the HR, decide to do so.

Should any of the above countries not wish to take part in the workshop, additional countries may be selected4 from the following additional partners of the European Neighbourhood Policy: Israel; Jordan; Lebanon; the Palestinian Authority and Syria.

The impact of this Decision and Joint Action 2008/230/CFSP should be technically assessed upon completion of the last workshop and staff exchanges under this Decision. This will be carried out in the form of factual reports on the adoption of relevant legislation, establishment of export control authorities and effective export controls in the beneficiary countries. The reports will be prepared by the EU Heads of Mission in each of the beneficiary countries.