EU commemorates the International Day against Nuclear Tests

The 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 UN General Assembly resolutions relating to the CTBT.

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty’s entry into force has always been and remains a top priority for the European Union and its Member States, all of which have ratified the Treaty. The EU also warmly welcomes the recent ratifications of the Treaty by Tuvalu, The Gambia, Dominica and Timor-Leste, bringing the total number of ratifications to 174, which constitute yet another step towards the CTBT’s universalisation.

At the same time, the EU consistently calls upon the remaining eight Annex 2 States, China, Egypt, Iran, Israel, and the USA to ratify the Treaty. It also calls upon the DPRK, India and Pakistan to sign and ratify it in order to bring it into force, and to do so without any preconditions or further delay. Pending the entry into force of the Treaty, all States should abide by the moratorium on nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions, and refrain from any action contrary to the object and purpose of the Treaty.

The EU will continue to rally support for the CTBT and the CTBTO in all relevant multilateral fora. On the occasion of the Tenth Review Conference of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) the EU submitted a comprehensive Working Paper on the CTBT, with concrete proposals for the Tenth NPT Review Conference. Moreover, on the margins of the NPT Review Conference, the EU organised a high-level panel discussion on the essential role of the CTBT in the context of the NPT, and within the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime, with the participation of the Executive Secretary and the EU Special Envoy for Non-proliferation and Disarmament.

Despite intensive efforts and negotiations, due to one country´s objection, it was not been possible to achieve consensus on a final outcome document at the Tenth Review Conference of the NPT, which would have reaffirmed the importance of the entry into force of the CTBT at the earliest possible date.

Nevertheless, legally binding obligations enshrined in the NPT and commitments from the past Review Conferences will remain valid. The EU and its Member States will spare no effort to continue to promote the full and effective implementation of the NPT as well as its universalisation and we call upon all NPT members to do the same. The NPT’s continued integrity is more important than ever in view of the current security environment.

Background

The Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) was adopted on 10 September 1996 by the UN General Assembly and opened for signature on 27 September 1996. The Treaty prohibits all nuclear explosions (including “peaceful nuclear explosions”) anywhere, by anyone. It also established a robust global verification regime, including the 337-facility-strong International Monitoring System (IMS) that can detect and identify any militarily relevant nuclear test anywhere on the planet, and an on-site inspection regime. The CTBT will enter into force after it has been signed and ratified by the 44 States listed in Annex II to the Treaty (the so-called “Annex II States”), which were the States that had nuclear power or research reactors at the time. Of those 44, eight ratifications are still missing.

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was adopted and opened for signature in 1968 and entered into force in 1970. Its objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and to further the goal of achieving nuclear disarmament and general and complete disarmament. The Treaty represents the only binding commitment in a multilateral treaty to the goal of disarmament by the nuclear-weapon States. A total of 191 States have joined the Treaty, including the five nuclear-weapon States (USA, UK, France, Russia and China). In the meantime, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and South Sudan still abstain from the NPT, while the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has withdrawn from it in 2003.

The Treaty is regarded as the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime and an essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament. It establishes a safeguards system under the responsibility of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), used to verify compliance with the Treaty through inspections conducted by the IAEA. The Treaty promotes cooperation in the field of peaceful nuclear technology and equal access to this technology for all States parties, while safeguards prevent the diversion of fissile material for weapons use.

Provisions of the NPT envisage a review of the operation of the Treaty every five years – these are the so-called Review Conferences. The Tenth Review Conference of the NPT was held from 1 to 26 August 2022 in New York, which, in spite of all best efforts was not able to adopt its final document due to Russia’s unwillingness to join consensus.