EU Statement – UN General Assembly: International Day against Nuclear Tests

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

President,

2. This year marks 80 years since the first nuclear test that preceded the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, events that caused unprecedented devastation and immense human suffering. These events and the nuclear tests that followed motivated the global effort to constrain nuclear arms. In this regard, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) is one of the key pillars of the international disarmament and non-proliferation architecture contributing to global peace and security. The Treaty’s strong legitimacy and vital importance for our collective security is pointed out in UN Security Council Resolution 2310 and the annual General Assembly resolutions relating to the CTBT. Since its opening for signature in 1996, the CTBT has served to limit nuclear testing in an unprecedented way, complementing the NPT and serving as a strong confidence and security building measure.

3. Nuclear test explosions represent a serious danger to international peace and security. The cessation of all nuclear weapon test explosions and all other nuclear explosions, by constraining the development and qualitative improvement of nuclear weapons and ending the development of advanced new types of nuclear weapons, constitutes an effective measure of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation in all its aspects.  

4. The CTBT’s entry into force remains a top priority for the European Union. It would codify the global norm against nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosion and reinforce international peace and security. This high-level meeting provides another opportunity to call for the Treaty’s prompt entry into force and universalisation. All EU Member States have ratified the Treaty and consistently call upon all States that have not yet done so - in particular the remaining Annex 2 States - to sign and ratify the CTBT without any preconditions or further delay. We continue to deeply deplore the unprecedented decision by the Russian Federation, contrary to its NPT and other commitments, to revoke its ratification of the CTBT. This moves us collectively further away from the entry into force of the Treaty. In the meantime, it is crucial for international peace and security that all States fully observe the moratorium on nuclear test explosions or any other nuclear explosions, and refrain from any action contrary to the object and purpose of the Treaty. In this regard, we call on all States to continue to honour their engagements and reaffirm their commitments.  

President,

 5. The current security environment is increasingly fragile, marked by the Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and its systematic undermining of the arms control architecture. The EU condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia’s actions, irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and threats to use nuclear force in its illegal, unjustified and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine, which are provocative, dangerous and escalatory. Russia’s so-called suspension of its implementation of the New START Treaty and its statement on the denuclearisation of the DPRK as a "closed issue"—in clear violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions—further erode trust in the international non-proliferation and disarmament regime. In this context, Russia must immediately and unconditionally withdraw all its forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine and fully respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence within its internationally recognised borders.

6. No state should conduct nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions. The EU urges the DPRK to comply with its obligations under relevant UN Security Council resolutions to refrain from testing nuclear devices and ballistic missiles, reaffirm the moratorium on long-range ballistic missile and nuclear tests, and sign and ratify the CTBT without any preconditions or further delay. We urge the DPRK to abandon its existing nuclear weapons programmes as well as programmes to build delivery systems and other weapons of mass destruction in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner as required by UN Security Council resolutions. Any nuclear test must be met with a swift, united, and robust international response.  The EU stands ready to support any meaningful diplomatic process and is committed to working with all relevant partners to build a basis for sustainable peace and security and take steps aimed at pursuing complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.

7. Following the DPRK's previous six nuclear tests, the CTBTO demonstrated its invaluable role in quickly providing reliable and independent data, enabling the international community to respond appropriately and swiftly. The CTBTO has provided the world with a truly global, hi-tech monitoring system for nuclear explosions – something that no single state could do. 

8. The EU reiterates its confidence in the CTBT's verification regime and looks forward to the completion of the International Monitoring System (IMS). We recognise its deterrence effect against non-compliance with the Treaty and its ability to respond to threats to international peace and security. Ensuring the sustainability and effectiveness of the verification regime, through adequate funding, remains crucial.

9. In addition to the CTBT’s obvious contribution to international peace and security, the EU advocates fully exploiting the potential benefits of civil and scientific applications of IMS data. In this regard, the EU financially supports the CTBTO's verification regime and integrated capacity building activities in developing countries. Since 2006, the EU has provided the CTBTO with voluntary contributions of more than 29.5 million Euro, and will continue to do so.

10. Finally, the EU continues to support and actively promote the entry into force of the CTBT, in line with Action 25 of the Pact for the Future. In this regard, we praise the efforts of the Article XIV co-ordinators – Norway and Panama - , and welcome the continuous efforts of the Group of Friends of the CTBT towards entry-into-force and universality. The EU reaffirms its commitment to the CTBT and will continue to seize every opportunity to call for the CTBT’s prompt entry into force in all relevant international fora and in meetings with the countries that have not yet signed or ratified the Treaty, notably the remaining Annex 2 States. We look forward to the next Article XIV Conference on 26 September, led by incoming Presidency Sweden and the Philippines, as an important opportunity to promote the Treaty.

Thank you.