Arms Trade Treaty - Eighth Conference of State Parties: EU Statement on Transparency and Reporting

Mr. President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries North Macedonia[1], Montenegro^*, Serbia^*, Albania^* and Republic of Moldova, the potential candidate countries Bosnia and Herzegovina^* and Georgia and the EFTA country Norway, member of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this declaration.

The EU supports the principles of cooperation, responsibility, and transparency in the international arms trade, enshrined in the Arms Trade Treaty. Transparency and reporting are key elements leading to confidence building among States and ensuring accountability for the full and effective implementation of the Treaty. Reporting on arms exports and imports represents one of the cornerstone obligations of the ATT. We therefore reiterate our call on all States Parties to fulfil their reporting obligations as per Article 13.3 of the Treaty in a timely manner. In the same vein, we encourage all States Parties to examine the option of non-confidential reporting, which increases the relevance of the reports and facilitates information sharing on transfers for export decisions.

It is highly regrettable that the number of annual reports submitted continues to decrease. We commend all States Parties that have already filed their annual report for 2021 and encourage others to follow suit without delay, and to share their reports publicly. The EU and its Member States attach great importance to transparency in the arms trade, and thus publishes detailed data on arms exports every year. The 23^rd EU Annual Report on exports of military technology and equipment in the year 2020 was released in September 2021 and is publicly available in a searchable online database on the website of the European External Action Service. This database has been of great benefit to all stakeholders, enhancing transparency. We encourage other regional and national bodies to implement similar systems. The EU annual report displays the number and value of authorized exports for all destination countries, the type of military technology involved and the number of denials per type of military technology and destination country, as well as the criteria that were invoked as the reason for the denial. The EU annual report for the year 2021 is being finalised and will become public shortly.

The EU stands ready to support States requiring assistance and in this regard we recall that the current EU ATT Outreach Program has been renewed with a third phase. Among the initiatives that can be developed under this Program are those aiming at strengthening national reporting capabilities and making national reporting procedures more efficient, in line with the provisions of the Treaty. States in need are also encouraged to make good use of the Voluntary Trust Fund for the purpose of establishing or improving their reporting capabilities.

Thank you, Mr. President.

[1] North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.