ATT Working Group on Transparency and Reporting - Key EU messages

Improving compliance with mandatory reporting obligations

1. At the outset, we would like to thank the co-chairs of the Working Group on Transparency and Reporting, Ambassador Paul Beijer of Sweden and Mr Guillaume Michel of Mexico, for their leadership in preparing concrete recommendations for the Third Conference of States Parties (CSP3) to the Arms Trade Treaty.

2. Transparency is a key element to build confidence in compliance with the provisions of the Treaty and ensure its full and effective implementation. The Treaty requires that each State Party shall provide an initial report of measures undertaken in order to implement the Treaty, including national laws, national control lists and other regulations and administrative measures. Furthermore, each State Party shall submit annually a report on the exports and imports of conventional arms. States Parties are also encouraged to report on measures they have taken to address the diversion of conventional arms. Such timely and full reporting will advance transparency and facilitate information exchange and the identification of good practices among States Parties. Furthermore, it will enable assistance requests to be linked with appropriate offers of assistance and available resources to be used in an effective way.

3. The EU would like to take this opportunity to call on all States Parties to fulfil their reporting obligations in a timely and effective manner. The deadline for the submission of Annual Reports covering exports and imports made during 2016 expires tomorrow 31 May. We take note that several States have already fulfilled their reporting obligations and we encourage others to follow suit as soon as possible. We also welcome the paper circulated by Belgium with frequently asked questions and answers that can assist States Parties in fulfilling their reporting requirements in the most practical and efficient way.

Strengthening reporting capabilities, in the light of multiple reporting obligations in different international fora

4. We encourage States Parties to explore possible synergies to help them comply with the reporting obligations stemming from various international regimes, such as the UN Register for Conventional Arms, the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms and Light Weapons, the International Tracing Instrument, and regional organisations.

5. The EU continues to support the principles of greater responsibility and transparency in arms trade enshrined in the Arms Trade Treaty. Within the EU, there is a well-established set of common rules governing the control of exports of military technology and equipment. EU Member States have a regular exchange of information on their conventional arms exports and denials. The EU's annual reports on arms exports are a significant tool in enhancing the transparency in the arms trade. We wish to take this opportunity to inform participants that the latest Annual Report on exports of military technology and equipment was published on 16 May 2017 and is available online.

A proposed Mandate for Work Oct 2017 - Sept 2018

6. At the two previous working group meetings, we made significant progress in identifying priority topics, including on how we can strengthen reporting capabilities and improve compliance with the mandatory reporting requirements. The EU welcomes these exchanges and considers them useful. While we agree that overlapping between the groups should be avoided to the extent possible, we wish to see the work on reporting and transparency continue after CSP3.