EU Statement

Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW)

26^th Annual Conference of Amended Protocol II of the CCW

Geneva, 12 November 2024                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Madam President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.

The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine and Republic of Moldova,[1] as well as the EFTA countries Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.

I wish to begin by congratulating South Africa on assuming the Presidency of this Annual Conference of Amended Protocol II to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). We look forward to your stewardship and assure you of the EU’s full support and cooperation.

The European Union and its Member States support efforts to universalise and strengthen the CCW and stress the importance of continued compliance with all CCW provisions and annexed Protocols. In this regard, we encourage all States that have not yet done so to join Amended Protocol II.

We fully support this protocol and stress that its purpose is to prevent superfluous injury or unnecessary suffering, and to protect civilians from the use of Mines, Booby Traps and Other Devices. Its general provisions as well as the specific articles for different types of weapons remain highly relevant and need to be fully complied with by all High Contracting Parties.

Madam President,

Given its direct relevance to the implementation and operation of this Protocol, we must strongly condemn Russia’s unjustifiable, unprovoked and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, which is not only a blatant violation of international law, including international humanitarian law, human rights law, and the UN Charter, but also a humanitarian catastrophe for Ukraine and its people brought about by the Russian Federation. Russia bears full responsibility for the loss of life, the human suffering and all the destruction it causes in Ukraine.

We condemn in the strongest possible terms use of anti-personnel mines and improvised anti-personnel mines that makes Ukraine the most mine-contaminated country in the world. Furthermore, Russian forces have also used victim-activated booby-traps and improvised explosive devices in Ukraine, causing civilian casualties and suffering. We call on Russia to fully comply with all obligations under International Humanitarian Law, and in particular to respect the obligations of this Protocol.

The EU remains firmly committed to its support to Ukraine and will continue its programmes to helping mine clearance as well as victim assistance and rehabilitation. The EU encourages all States in a position to do so to follow suit and assist Ukraine in its mine clearance efforts in accordance with article 11.3 of AP II.

Madam President,

The EU strongly condemns any use of anti-personnel mines, including of an improvised nature anywhere, anytime, and by any actor, whether States or non-State actors.

The EU remains deeply concerned about the continued severe global impact of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and their indiscriminate use and effects, in particular in the perpetration of terrorist acts and the use of IEDs by non-state actors. IEDs pose a worldwide threat, affecting over 50 countries and territories, inflict serious physical injuries, damage critical infrastructure, and spread fear and disruption across affected communities. The expanding use of IEDs against civilian populations and infrastructure, including health-care systems, produces alarming humanitarian harm, especially in urban settings, and is of increasing concern thus requiring an urgent response from the international community. Efforts to enhance prevention, preparedness and response are needed to tackle the global threat these weapons pose. Coordination on national, regional and international levels is required. Clearance of anti-personnel mines of an improvised nature needs to be done in conjunction with the efforts in other disarmament conventions, such as the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention where clear synergies exist with APII.

We would like to reiterate our continued support for previous multilateral actions taken by the UN in an effort to combat the harmful effects of IEDs, as well as the importance of a comprehensive global approach to combating this threat. The EU and its Member States supported and co-sponsored this year’s United Nations General Assembly First Committee resolution on Countering the threat posed by Improvised Explosive Devices, encouraging States to participate, in a comprehensive and coordinated community of action and to enhance international and regional cooperation to address the threat posed by IEDs.

The EU believes that it is crucial to involve and engage private sector bodies in an effort to limit the flow of precursor materials to unauthorized end users. It is also important to adopt and implement more stringent national measures to prevent the supply of weapons and explosives precursors to terrorists. The EU has already undertaken several concrete actions in this regard, in accordance with the European Agenda on Security and, more specifically, in the EU Action Plan against the Illicit Trafficking and Use of Firearms and Explosives to help reduce the possibility of misuse of explosives for the use of IEDs.

The EU contributed to the compilation of national or regional guidelines, best practices and other recommendations aiming at addressing the diversion or illicit use of materials that can be used for IEDs through two important documents, namely Regulation (EU) 2019/1148 on the marketing and use of explosives precursors, as well as the Guidelines[2] to help EU Member States, the chemical industry and online marketplaces to implement it. The regulation strengthens the system to prevent the illicit manufacture of explosives, as a response to the evolving threat that terrorism and other serious criminal activities pose to public security. The EU has just launched an evaluation of this regulation with a view to check whether it is still fit for purpose; this evaluation is expected to be finalised by the end of 2025.

As far as international cooperation and assistance are concerned, the EU will continue to support national capacity building efforts and remains actively involved around the globe to address the IED threat.

The EU is also fully committed to mainstreaming a gender perspective into all non-proliferation, disarmament and arms control work in line with Resolution 1325 of the UN Security Council and all related resolutions, including through promoting women’s full and equal participation and providing integrated support where appropriate.

Madam President,

In conclusion, we need to highlight once again the humanitarian impact and the heavy consequences on social and economic development caused by the indiscriminate and disproportionate use of Mines Other than Anti-Personnel Mines (MOTAPM). While acknowledging that MOTAPM are legitimate weapons, Parties to the Convention are obliged to ensure that they are used in accordance with IHL, including by taking all feasible precautions to protect civilians from the effects of these weapons. The EU believes that further discussion is needed within the CCW framework on how to ensure greater compliance with Amended Protocol II and we regret that a few countries, including the Russian Federation decided to block such discussions in previous years. For this reason, the EU supports the adding of MOTAPM to the agenda for the CCW Annual Conference and continues to believe that expert discussions on the issue would be of overall benefit to us all.

I thank you, Madam President.

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

[2] Guidelines for the implementation of Regulation (EU) 2019/1148 on the marketing and use of explosives precursors (2020/C 210/01).