EU Statement at 

Sixty-Fourth Session of 

Preparatory Commission

Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO)

Vienna, 23-25 June 2025

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The following countries align themselves with this statement: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway and Ukraine. 

Chair,

We thank the Executive Secretary for his comprehensive reports, and express our support for the recommendations contained in the reports of Working Groups A and B, as well as of the Advisory Group. We also wish to express our appreciation to you Chair for your consultations and to the Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS) for the timely preparations of this Session.

The entry into force of the CTBT remains a priority for the EU. We urge 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. 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 explosion, 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, including those undertaken during the NPT Review Processes.

We also look forward to the Article XIV Conference in September, in New York, and express our appreciation to the Co-Chairs - Sweden and the Philippines – for their work towards reaching consensus on a Joint Final Declaration. This will be an important occasion to reaffirm States Signatories’ support to the CTBT and promote its entry into force.

Chair,

The EU reiterates its call on the DPRK to abandon its existing nuclear weapons programmes and refrain from testing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, in line with its obligations under relevant UN Security Council resolutions. Any nuclear test must be met with a swift, united, and robust international response. We urge the DPRK to sign and ratify the CTBT without any preconditions or further delay. 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 denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Chair,

We thank the PTS for the Initial Draft of the 2026-2027 Programme and Budget Proposals and welcome the optimization and reprioritization of activities. We encourage the PTS to continue such efforts. At the same time it is crucial that the Organisation’s Budget enables the PTS to implement its programmatic activities. 

Ensuring the sustainability and effectiveness of the verification regime, through an IMS Sustainment Strategy remains essential. In line with the recommendation of Working Group A, the PrepCom should focus on Scenario C (reduced impact-medium risk) and its variants as outlined in the relevant PTS papers. In this regard, the EU stresses the need for any scenario that will eventually be approved by the PrepCom, to ensure high levels of data availability and quality, as well as the ability of the PTS to perform its mission. On the issue of auxiliary seismic stations, we thank the PTS for the relevant paper, and look forward to its review by Working Group B at its next session, in line with its mandate and the Advisory Group’s report.

Moreover, it is crucial for the wider Organisation’s financial health, that all States demonstrate their political commitment and honour their legal obligations by paying their assessed contributions on time and in full, as well as any arrears due to the Organisation. 

The EU has so far contributed more than €29.5 million in extra-budgetary contributions to the Organization. This reflects the strong commitment of the EU and its Member States to the Treaty and its implementation. EU funds are currently being used to support the CTBT verification regime and capacity-building for developing countries in all geographic regions. We welcome the sustained efforts of the PTS towards gender equality and equitable geographical representation, including towards equal representation within its staff and towards promotion of women participation in capacity-building activities. Present and past EU funding directly support these goals.

Chair,

With regard to the appointment of the new External Auditor for the period 2026-2027, we thank the Chair of WGA for her efforts and informal consultations. The EU has already expressed its support to the nomination of the Cours de Compte of France, which is both technically and financially highly sound. We remain fully committed to finding a way for a consensus decision on the appointment of the External Auditor during this session. 

The EU wishes to thank the United Kingdom for the nomination of Ms Rasmi Rajyaguru as Chair of the Advisory Group for a second term. We highly appreciate the work of the Advisory Group under Ms Rajyaguru’s leadership and fully support her re-appointment. As for appointments of members to the Advisory Group, we encourage States to ensure that they nominate experts of high-recognised standing and experience in financial matters at the international level. In this regard, we welcome and support the two nominations for membership, by Norway and South Africa. 

We thank the Executive Secretary for his recommendations to extend the terms of the Director of Administration, Mr Dayal, and Director of IMS, Ms Pérez Campos, for a period of two years, and express our support.

In conclusion Chair,

We assure you of the EU’s full support and cooperation in bringing this meeting to a successful completion, and stress that the Report of this Session should be concise and factual, focusing on operative outcomes.

Thank you.