THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Articles 28(1) 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 11 May 2017 the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2017/809, which provides for a 36-month implementation period from the date of conclusion of the financing agreement referred to in Article 3(3) of that Decision, for the projects referred to in Article 1 thereof.
(2)
That financing agreement was concluded with the United Nations (UN) Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) on 10 August 2017 and expires on 10 August 2020.
(3)
On 19 March 2020, UNODA, which is responsible for the technical implementation of the projects referred to in Article 1 of Decision (CFSP) 2017/809, requested a 12-month extension of the implementation period of that Decision. The requested extension would allow UNODA to continue delivering assistance to the UN Member States implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) (‘UNSCR 1540’), to contribute further to an ongoing comprehensive review, to continue delivering assistance to the Committee of the UN Security Council established by UNSCR 1540 until the end of its current mandate on 25 April 2021, and to mitigate the losses resulting from projects that remain undelivered due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
(4)
The continuation of the projects referred to in Article 1 of Decision (CFSP) 2017/809 does not have any implication as regards financial resources until 10 August 2021.
(5)
Decision (CFSP) 2017/809 should therefore be amended accordingly,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: