# CE2004088EN.01013801.xml

| 8.4.2004 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | CE 88/138 |
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8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

CE 88/138

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(2004/C 88 E/0146)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3263/03

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(4 November 2003)

Subject:   Powers of the region of Wallonia to approve arms exports, and the use of such weapons to repress the people of Nepal

Subject:

| 1. | Is the Commission aware that the financing of 5 500 machine guns purchased by the state of Nepal from the Belgian arms manufacturer FN Herstal has been at the expense of measures to combat poverty, education, health care and the holding of elections, and that all of these weapons are ready for deployment just over a year after the placing of the order? |
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1.

Is the Commission aware that the financing of 5 500 machine guns purchased by the state of Nepal from the Belgian arms manufacturer FN Herstal has been at the expense of measures to combat poverty, education, health care and the holding of elections, and that all of these weapons are ready for deployment just over a year after the placing of the order?

| 2. | Is the Commission also aware that, since the delivery of these weapons, the Government of the Kingdom of Nepal and the army have ended the dialogue with the opposition begun in the first half of 2003, and that the weapons are being used on a massive scale in western Nepal for the killing of unarmed citizens suspected of possibly joining the protest against the conditions of inequality under which people traditionally live in this country? |
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2.

Is the Commission also aware that, since the delivery of these weapons, the Government of the Kingdom of Nepal and the army have ended the dialogue with the opposition begun in the first half of 2003, and that the weapons are being used on a massive scale in western Nepal for the killing of unarmed citizens suspected of possibly joining the protest against the conditions of inequality under which people traditionally live in this country?

| 3. | Does the Commission regard the delivery of such weapons to an area of conflict like Nepal for such purposes to be compatible with the EU code of conduct on the export of arms? |
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3.

Does the Commission regard the delivery of such weapons to an area of conflict like Nepal for such purposes to be compatible with the EU code of conduct on the export of arms?

| 4. | Is it only the EU Member States that are bound by this code of conduct, or also the individual states of which they are comprised, such as the region of Wallonia, which has been delegated powers to export arms by the federal Belgian government and which bases its decisions primarily on the employment opportunities provided by arms production? |
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4.

Is it only the EU Member States that are bound by this code of conduct, or also the individual states of which they are comprised, such as the region of Wallonia, which has been delegated powers to export arms by the federal Belgian government and which bases its decisions primarily on the employment opportunities provided by arms production?

| 5. | How is a repetition of this deplorable situation to be prevented, so that further weapons cannot find their way into use in internal extermination campaigns or summary executions in Nepal or other similar regions? |
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5.

How is a repetition of this deplorable situation to be prevented, so that further weapons cannot find their way into use in internal extermination campaigns or summary executions in Nepal or other similar regions?

Source: Belgian newspaper ‘De Morgen’, 17.10.2003.

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(4 December 2003)

(4 December 2003)

The Commission is fully aware of the ongoing conflict in Nepal and deeply regrets the interruption of the peace talks on 27 August 2003 and the increased violence and loss of life since.

The trade in arms is currently dealt within the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) and the Commission is fully associated. In June 1998, the Union adopted the Code of Conduct on arms exports under the CFSP on the basis of criteria that Member States are pledged to respect.

The Commission, while sharing the Honourable Member's concern, has neither the authority nor the means to monitor armament's exports. Full responsibility for the licensing of arms exports is an internal matter of the Member States to organise the way they see fit in order to fulfil the obligations they have undertaken under the code of Conduct.

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