EU Statement - EU Statement – 10th Review Conference on the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons: Main Committee II

Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Candidate Countries Türkiye, North Macedonia*, Montenegro*, Albania*, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Georgia, Monaco and San Marino align themselves with this statement.

Let me congratulate you on your election as Main Committee II Chair and assure you of the EU’s full support and cooperation.

During the review period, the EU has been resolutely committed to and has continuously supported the full and effective implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), a key multilateral non-proliferation instrument endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2231. The EU supports all diplomatic efforts, including those of JCPOA  participants and the contacts of the EU High Representative as JCPOA Coordinator, to achieve a return to the JCPOA by the US, and the resumption of full implementation of all JCPOA commitments by the US and Iran. The EU expresses its grave concern at Iran's escalating expansion of nuclear activities that are inconsistent with the JCPOA, and have severe and, in certain cases, irreversible proliferation implications. Some of Iran’s nuclear activities, in particular uranium enrichment up to 60 percent, do not have any plausible civilian justification in Iran. We strongly urge Iran to immediately reverse all activities inconsistent with the JCPOA and return to full JCPOA implementation, including all JCPOA transparency measures, to reapply the Additional Protocol and seek its earliest ratification as well as to fulfil all its obligations under the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement including Modified Code 3.1.

The EU is gravely concerned that the Agency could not confirm the correctness and completeness of Iran’s declarations under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, and that several safeguards issues remain outstanding. Recalling the latest resolution adopted by the Board of Governors in June 2022, we urge Iran to co-operate immediately and in full with the IAEA in order for the Agency to be in a position to provide the required assurances that Iran’s nuclear programme is exclusively peaceful. The EU urges Iran to refrain from any ballistic missile activities that are inconsistent with Resolution 2231 and to fully respect all relevant UN Security Council resolutions related to the transfer of missiles and relevant material and technology to State and non-State actors. 

The nuclear and ballistic missile activities of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) continue to pose a grave threat to international and regional peace and security and violate multiple UN Security Council Resolutions. The EU condemns such activities. We urge the DPRK to refrain from all nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches and to take concrete steps in dismantling its programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner. The EU supports any diplomatic processes aimed at pursuing sustainable peace and security and the complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The EU insists that the DPRK return to compliance with the NPT and the IAEA Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, bring into force the Additional Protocol, and sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. The EU calls on all States to ensure the full implementation of sanctions in order to prevent procurements that would support the DPRK’s unlawful activities.

The EU deeply regrets that the Syrian Arab Republic has still to remedy its non-compliance with its Safeguards Agreement under the NPT. We call upon the Syrian Arab Republic to cooperate with the IAEA on all outstanding issues and conclude the Additional Protocol as soon as possible.

The EU reaffirms its full support for the establishment of a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems in the Middle East. We recall that such zones can only be established on the basis of arrangements freely arrived at between all States of the region concerned.

The EU reiterates its strongest condemnation of the unprovoked and unjustified aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine which poses serious and direct threats to the safety and security of Ukrainian nuclear facilities, and impedes the IAEA from fully and safely conducting safeguards verification activities in Ukraine.

We recall that back in 2009, the IAEA General Conference adopted a consensus decision (GC(53)/DEC/13) stating that “any armed attack on and threat against nuclear facilities devoted to peaceful purposes constitutes a violation of the principles of the UN Charter, international law and the Statute of the Agency”. We also recall IAEA General Conference Resolution GC(43)/533 which recognizes that an armed attack or a threat of armed attack on a safeguarded nuclear facility, in operation or under construction, would create a situation in which the UN Security Council would have to act immediately in accordance with the provisions of the UN Charter.

In particular, we are very concerned about the unsustainable situation in Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia which has been attacked and illegally seized by Russia. The Russian Federation must immediately withdraw all its armed forces from the Ukrainian nuclear facilities and from the entire territory of Ukraine. We hail the IAEA’s efforts to continue implementing safeguards in Ukraine despite Russia’s unprecedented and unacceptable actions.

The IAEA safeguards system is a fundamental component of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and the IAEA and its inspectors play an indispensable role in the implementation of the NPT. The EU stresses that the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement together with the Additional Protocol constitute the current IAEA verification standard under the NPT and we call for their universalisation without delay. Without an Additional Protocol, the IAEA cannot draw conclusions on the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities. The EU strongly supports the strengthening of the IAEA safeguards system through support programmes and diplomatic activities. We urge the remaining States, which have not yet amended and/or rescinded their Small Quantities Protocols, to do so or apply the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement in full, especially those States that are already embarking on a nuclear power or radiation technology programme.

The close cooperation between EURATOM and the IAEA contributes to the effective and efficient implementation of safeguards in EU Member States.

Chair,

The EU recalls the importance of effective export controls, in accordance with Article III of the NPT, and compliance with UN Security Council Resolutions 1540, 1887 and 2325. We invite all States to adhere to the guidelines of the Zangger Committee, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, and the Missile Technology Control Regime, and support the participation of all EU Member States therein.

The ongoing proliferation of ballistic missile technology is clearly a destabilizing factor and remains a matter of grave concern. The EU reiterates its strong support for the universal subscription to, and the effective implementation of The Hague Code of Conduct (HCoC), the only multilateral transparency and confidence building instrument concerning the spread of ballistic missiles. 

The EU and its Member States recognise the fundamental importance of nuclear security to prevent nuclear terrorism and other unlawful access to nuclear material and the IAEA’s central role in facilitating international cooperation.

The EU calls on all States to accede to key nuclear security instruments, such as the Amended Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material (A/CPPNM) and the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism (ICSANT). The EU will continue to support States in their efforts to fully implement these two conventions. We welcome the recent consensual outcome of the A/CPPNM review meeting to which the EU significantly contributed, and recall the continued relevance of the ministerial declaration of the International Conference on Nuclear Security (ICONS) in 2020.

The EU promotes gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, including in the field of nuclear security, being the largest donor to the IAEA's Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellowship Programme.

Furthermore, the EU Centres of Excellence facilitate regional cooperation with 62 partner countries to mitigate chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) risks with a budget of €175 million for the period 2021-2027.

In conclusion, Chair, the EU would like to see these non-proliferation issues reflected in the outcome document of the Review Conference.

Thank you, Chair.

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