EU Statement – United Nations Preparatory Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons: Statements by Intergovernmental Organisations

- As delivered -

Mr. President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.

For the EU the implementation of the Programme of Action is guided by the EU Strategy to Combat the Illicit Accumulation and Trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons and their Ammunition. This Strategy was adopted in 2005 by the European Council. This is the meeting of the Heads of States.

The Strategy engages the European Union and its Member States in supporting the implementation of the Programme of Action (PoA) and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI) within the EU as well as abroad. The material scope of the EU Strategy covers weapons as well as their ammunition. The Strategy has guided the EU's actions to set norms, support implementation, monitoring and build consensus around priority issues, in cooperation with national, regional and international actors and organisations. Relevant EU actions have been reported by means of bi-annual, and later annual, progress reports.

Currently the 2005 EU Strategy is being revised. The revised Strategy will take into account the PoA and ITI, the evolving security context, the guiding principles of the 2016 EU Global Strategy and developments in conventional arms control that have taken place since 2005 such as the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Arms Trade Treaty.The purpose of the revised Strategy will be to guide integrated, collective and coordinated European action to prevent and curb the illicit acquisition of SALW and their ammunition by terrorists, criminals and other unauthorised actors and to promote accountability and responsibility with regard to the legal SALW trade. The revised Strategy will cover weapons and ammunition. It will cover illicit manufacture as well as diversion of legally manufactured weapons and it will cover the trafficking of all firearms – civilian and military grade and their ammunition. The Strategy will put forward objectives with regard to norm-setting, implementation, monitoring and enforcement. It will also cover the different phases in the life cycle of SALW and ammunitions: manufacture, export, stockpiling, and disposal.

Annexed to the Strategy will be a set of actions to be taken within the EU by EU-institutions and Member States, and proposals for cooperation and assistance for SALW control in the EU’s Eastern and Southern neighbourhoods and the rest of the world. The Strategy and action plan will be based on and inspired by the PoA and the ITI.

Our aim is to present the revised EU Strategy against illicit SALW and ammunition in the margins of the Review Conference in June.

Thank you Mr President.

______________________________