Council Decision (CFSP) 2015/1908Show full title

Council Decision (CFSP) 2015/1908

of 22 October 2015

in support of a global reporting mechanism on illicit small arms and light weapons and other illicit conventional weapons and ammunition to reduce the risk of their illicit trade (‘iTrace II’)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Articles 26(2) and 31(1) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,

Whereas:

(1) On 13 December 2003, the European Council adopted the European Security Strategy, identifying five key challenges to be faced by the Union: terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, regional conflicts, State failure and organised crime. The consequences of the illicit manufacture, transfer and circulation of conventional weapons, including small arms and light weapons (‘SALW’), and their excessive accumulation and uncontrolled spread are central to four of these five challenges. They fuel insecurity in sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and many other regions of the world, exacerbating conflict and undermining post-conflict peace-building, thus posing a serious threat to peace and security.

(2) On 15 and 16 December 2005, the Council adopted the EU Strategy to combat the illicit accumulation and trafficking of SALW and their ammunition (‘EU SALW Strategy’), which sets the guidelines for EU action in the field of SALW. The EU SALW Strategy stresses that SALW contribute to a worsening of terrorism and organised crime, and are a major factor in triggering and spreading conflicts, as well as in the collapse of State structures.

(3) The EU SALW Strategy also asserts that the Union should strengthen and support the machinery for the monitoring of sanctions and support the strengthening of export controls as well as the promotion of Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP(1) by, inter alia, promoting measures to improve transparency.

(4) With the United Nations Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in SALW in All Its Aspects (‘UN Programme of Action’), adopted on 20 July 2001, all UN Member States have undertaken to prevent the illicit trafficking of SALW, including their diversion to unauthorized recipients, and, in particular, to take into account the risk of diversion of SALW into the illegal trade when assessing applications for export authorizations.

(5) On 8 December 2005, the UN General Assembly adopted an International Instrument to Enable States to Identify and Trace, in a Timely and Reliable Manner, Illicit SALW.

(6) At the 2012 Second Review Conference on the UN Programme of Action, all UN Member States reaffirmed their commitment to preventing the illicit trafficking of SALW, including their diversion to unauthorized recipients, as well as their commitments contained in the UN Programme of Action relating to the assessment of applications for export authorisations.

(7) On 2 April 2013, the UN General Assembly adopted the text of the Arms Trade Treaty (‘ATT’). The object of the ATT is to establish the highest possible common international standards for regulating or improving the regulation of the international trade in conventional arms, to prevent and eradicate the illicit trade in conventional arms and to prevent the diversion of conventional arms. The Union should support all UN Member States in implementing effective arms-transfer controls in order to ensure that the ATT will be as effective as possible, in particular as regards the implementation of Article 11 thereof.

(8) The Union previously supported Conflict Armament Research Ltd (CAR) by means of Council Decision 2013/698/CFSP(2).

(9) The Union wishes to finance the second phase of a global reporting mechanism on illicit SALW and other illicit conventional weapons and ammunition in order to reduce the risk of their illicit trade and to continue to contribute to the achievement of the goals described above,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

(1)

Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP of 8 December 2008 defining common rules governing control of exports of military technology and equipment (OJ L 335, 13.12.2008, p. 99).

(2)

Council Decision 2013/698/CFSP of 25 November 2013 in support of a global reporting mechanism on illicit small arms and light weapons and other illicit conventional weapons and ammunition to reduce the risk of their illicit trade (OJ L 320, 30.11.2013, p. 34).