EU Statement on the occasion of the 65th Session of CTBTO Working Group B, delivered on 26 August – 5 September 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, Iceland, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Republic of Moldova, San Marino, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine align themselves with this statement.

Chair,

The European Union wishes to express its appreciation to you and the Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS) for the timely preparation of this meeting, in close coordination with the Vice-Chairs and the Working Group B Task Leaders. 

The CTBT’s universalisation and entry into force remain a priority for the EU. We urge all States, which have not yet done so - in particular the remaining Annex II States - to sign and ratify the CTBT without any preconditions or further delay. Pending CTBT’s entry into force, the EU calls on all States to abide by the moratorium on nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions, and to refrain from any action contrary to the object and purpose of the Treaty. 

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 for the CTBT and promote its entry into force.

We reiterate our full confidence in the CTBT’s verification regime, which has demonstrated its ability to provide independent and reliable data to deter non-compliance with the Treaty once it enters into force. We recall that the DPRK is the only country having conducted full-scale nuclear explosive testing in the 21st century. We strongly urge the DPRK to refrain from any further nuclear tests.

Chair,

We thank the Executive Secretary for his opening statement and report on verification related activities for the period January to June 2025 and look forward to the presentations by the PTS Directors and staff of the International Monitoring System (IMS), the International Data Centre (IDC) and On-Site Inspection (OSI) Divisions, on the implementation of the verification related programme. 

The EU considers the completion and maintenance of IMS stations a priority and encourages the PTS to continue its important operations, including building, certifying, operating and repairing IMS stations. The EU supports the recommendation for the relocation of station RN69, to further improve the functioning of the IMS. Moreover, ensuring the sustainability and effectiveness of the verification regime, through an IMS Sustainment Strategy remains essential. We welcome further discussions 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 experts.

The EU reiterates its position that transportable noble gas measurement systems are essential for the analysis of the IDC, in further understanding the global radionuclide background and in facilitating the correct categorization of events. As confirmed by the PTS, this on-going activity is part of, and helps carry out its mandate.

Data availability, including thorough, accurate and timely IDC reports, is equally essential. The EU welcomes the support provided by the PTS to States Signatories through the “National Data Centres (NDCs) for All” initiative, such as the provision of capacity building systems (CBS), which were procured in part through voluntary funding by the EU. The EU strongly supports the further development and usage of the tools in the NDC-in-a-box software package. It is an irreplaceable valuable package for independent analyses at NDCs.

The EU and its Member States have been one of the largest contributors to the financing of OSI technologies capacity building. Further to the successful Build-Up Exercise 2024 in Hungary, we support the organisation of regular OSI exercises, including tabletop and directed exercises. We look forward to the Integrated Field Exercise in 2026, and to receiving further information from the PTS during this session.

The EU looks forward to the organisation of the eighth Science and Technology (SnT) Conference, in September 2025, which will provide a unique opportunity to focus on the civil and scientific applications of the Treaty, its verification regime, related data and technologies. 

We would also like to underline the immense value of the information stored on particulate filters over the past twenty years, and its release from the PTS archive, for climate research, atmospheric modelling or similar research activities. 

The EU, due to our continued political and financial commitment to the Organisation, provides significant voluntary contributions to support the verification regime as well as capacity building and outreach, particularly in developing countries. The Technical Experts Support Programme (TESP) continues to be financed through EU Council Decisions. We welcome the sustained efforts within the CTBTO towards gender equality and equitable geographical representation, including the enhanced participation of female experts in capacity building programmes and WGB activities.

In conclusion Chair,

We assure you of the EU’s full support and cooperation in bringing this meeting to a successful completion, with the adoption of a concise Report, focusing on operative outcomes.

Thank you.