Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) - EU Statement - Preparatory Committee of the Seventh Review Conference

EU Statement

Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW)

Preparatory Committee of the Seventh Review Conference

Geneva, 7-9  September 2026

Mr. President-designate,

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

At the outset, the EU wishes to convey its deep appreciation for all your efforts in paving the way for a successful and substantive outcome at the Seventh Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, particularly under such challenging circumstances. We pledge our full cooperation and support for achieving an ambitious outcome and a solid plan for future work during the next Review Cycle. This will require common efforts of all High Contracting Parties.

The EU recalls that the CCW and its Protocols are key instruments for and an integral part of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and reiterates the commitment of the EU and its Member States to respecting and fully complying with IHL, as well as to continuing adhering fully to the EU Guidelines on the promotion of compliance with IHL. 

We underline that the CCW is a unique international forum gathering diplomatic, legal and military expertise, and an appropriate forum to respond to fast-paced developments in the field of weapons technology, thus by its mandate contributing to preventing and reducing the suffering of both civilians and combatants. Ensuring that the effectiveness of the Convention in the future is preserved and further strengthened, including by keeping the Convention responsive to new developments and emerging technologies, should be a priority for the Review Conference.

The EU emphasizes the importance of the universalisation of the Convention and its Protocols and recalls the EU’s efforts in this regard. In view of enhancing the strength and effectiveness of the Convention and its Protocols, we encourage all States that have not yet done so to join the CCW and its Protocols without further delay. 

We stress the importance of inclusive CCW discussions with all stakeholders’ active participation and observers’ technical expertise playing a pivotal role in broadening the scope of the CCW debate and ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the complex issues under consideration.

Mr. President-designate,

The Review Conference provides an opportunity to take stock of the implementation of the Convention as well as its Protocols. We hope that appropriate time will be allocated to allow for a structured debate on the most relevant issues. We regret that Protocol III issues were removed from the CCW agenda and request to have them back, since a structured debate on the implementation of the Convention should occur on all of its protocols. 

On Amended Protocol II, we express concern over the ongoing use of mines, booby-traps and other devices causing human suffering and harm, including the continued severe global impact of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and their indiscriminate use and effects. We value the work done on this issue within the framework of Amended Protocol II and we remain committed to continuing work in the CCW to address the issue of IEDs. 

We wish to recall that many High Contracting Parties have expressed continuing concern over the humanitarian impact and the heavy consequences on social and economic development arising from 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. We believe that MOTAPM should remain on the CCW agenda for further discussions in order to ensure that High Contracting Parties can continue to consider the matter in a constructive and transparent manner.

Another area which requires our attention is emerging technologies in the area of lethal autonomous weapons systems (LAWS). The EU welcomes the work conducted in the framework of the CCW over the past years and acknowledges the important contribution by the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) on LAWS. 

We would like to thank, Ambassador in den Bosch and his team, for all the efforts and excellent leadership as Chair of this Group. We highly appreciated his positive leadership that was instrumental in building the necessary momentum, which has resulted in a substantive product in front of us. 

The agreed set of elements of an instrument, without prejudging its nature, and other possible measures to address emerging technologies in LAWS, represent an important milestone. The EU and its Member States remain fully committed to building on this positive outcome. 

The EU recalls the importance of integrating and mainstreaming a gender perspective into all non-proliferation, disarmament and arms control work, in line with Resolution 1325 of the Security Council of the United Nations and related resolutions, including through promoting women’s full, equal and meaningful participation and providing integrated support.

Mr. President-designate,

As far as administrative, financial and organizational matters are concerned, the payment of annual contributions by the High Contracting Parties, in full and on time, remains essential to ensure the effective functioning of the Convention and its Protocols, as well as the work of the Implementation Support Unit. The Council therefore calls upon all High Contracting Parties to meet their financial obligations in a timely manner. 

Finally, the EU expresses its support to the administration and implementation of the CCW and its Protocols, in particular the Implementation Support Unit (ISU). In this regard, the EU renewed last year its financial support to the UNODA (CCW ISU) by EUR 1.3 million over 
3 years. This builds on earlier EU funding to the CCW and aims at strengthening States’ capacities to enhance the protection of civilians and mitigate the impact of conventional and emerging weapons technologies. This decision testifies to the prominence that the EU attributes to multilateralism, a rules-based world order and international law, as well as to the importance it attaches to a solid implementation of CCW objectives. 

We believe that the outcome of this Preparatory Committee will strengthen the Convention and its Protocols, paving the way for a successful Seventh Review Conference in November.  You can count on our engagement and support to this end.

Thank you.

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    Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/2322 of 13 November 2025.