Beneficiary countries, venue and date Organiser Brief description of assistance/outreach

PROMOTION OF CONTROL OF ARMS EXPORTS AND THE PRINCIPLES AND CRITERIA OF COMMON POSITION 2008/944/CFSP AMONG THIRD COUNTRIES

Montenegro Podgorica, 6 — 7 March 2013 Individual assistance workshop/legal review in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP On request of the authorities of Montenegro, the individual assistance workshop enabled relevant Montenegrin officials assisted by EU experts to review the latest Montenegrin draft law on arms trade control. The workshop was preceded by a remote in-depth comprehensive review so that the most relevant and important elements could be appropriately addressed during the workshop. All in all, the individual assistance workshop provided the opportunity for Montenegro to further understand the EU standards, to draw on best practices applied in the EU, to assess the practical feasibility and enforceability of specific provisions and to tangibly strengthen its alignment with Common Position 2008/944/CFSP.

Study visit on arms export controls for officials of Azerbaijan, Belarus and Georgia Stockholm, Sweden 24 — 28 June 2013 EU and Sweden in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP The study visit was hosted by the Swedish Agency for Non-Proliferation and Export Control (ISP) and also supported by EU experts from Czech Republic and Portugal. It was attended by a total of 11 officials from Azerbaijan, Belarus and Georgia. The study visit was subdivided into seven sessions addressing various arms export control-relevant issues: the organisation of the Swedish arms export control system, the licensing process and the end-use verification mechanism, the inter-agency cooperation as a comprehensive tool for end use verification, the implementation of export controls in a company's day-to-day business operations, the policy making process, as well as arms export controls from customs perspective. Those issues were illustrated by means of case studies accompanying presentations.

Regional Workshop on Arms and Dual-use Items Export Control for South East European Countries Skopje, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, 24 — 26 June 2013 EU in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP This regional workshop covered Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. It actually consisted of two workshops held back-to-back, the first one addressing arms export control outreach and funded under Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP and the second one addressing dual-use goods export control outreach and funded under the Instrument for Stability. Both parts focussed on end-use verification in the pre-licensing, licensing and post-licensing phase of the export control process for military equipment and dual-use items. In addition, some beneficiary countries used the opportunity to discuss their draft legislation on military and dual-use export controls.

Serbia Belgrade, 17 — 18 September 2013 Individual assistance workshop/legal review in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP On request of the authorities of Serbia, the individual assistance workshop enabled relevant Serbian officials assisted by EU experts to review the latest Serbian draft law on arms trade control. The workshop was preceded by a remote in-depth comprehensive review so that the most relevant and important elements could be appropriately addressed during the workshop. All in all, the individual assistance workshop provided the opportunity for Serbia to further understand the EU standards, to draw on best practices applied in the EU and to assess the practical feasibility and enforceability of specific provisions.

Regional workshop on arms export controls for Eastern European and Caucasian Partners of the ENP (Tbilisi, Georgia, 08 — 09 October 2013) EU in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP This event covered Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The first day was divided into two sessions covering the following topics: political updates in the area of arms export controls (i.e. ATT) and the role of technical expertise. Breakout group sessions focussed on various aspects related to the technical rating of items. Participating countries had the opportunity to present their national approaches with respect to gathering technical expertise as well as to share views concerning effective export controls of military items. On the second day, an additional session was dedicated to analysing and discussing case studies.

Study visit on arms export controls for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia (Lisbon, Portugal, 22 — 24 October 2013) EU and Portugal in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP The study visit was hosted by the Portuguese Ministry of Defence, Directorate for Armaments and Defence Infrastructure and supported by officials from Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland. The study visit was subdivided into eight sessions addressing a broad range of issues of arms export controls (arms export controls from the perspective of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Customs and the industry, licensing process, inter-agency cooperation, the implementation of export controls in a company's day-to-day business operations and the policy making process were some of the topics discussed). This event was a mix between theory and practice and included case studies and practical examples supporting the presentations.

Regional seminar on arms export controls for North African Mediterranean countries of the ENP (Tunis, Tunisia, 26 — 27 November 2013) EU in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia participated in this regional event. The agenda was divided into three sessions covering the following topics: some key elements of an effective arms export control system, putting risk criteria into practice (special focus on criteria 3, 4, 6 and 7 of EU Common Position 2008/944/CFSP, guidance for interpretation according to User's Guide), political updates in the area of arms export controls (i.e. ATT) and effective enforcement of trade controls and penal provisions. On the second day, an additional session was dedicated to analyzing and discussing case studies.

Study visit on arms export controls for Armenia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine (Prague, Czech Republic, 27 -31 January 2014) EU and Czech Republic in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP The study visit was hosted by the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was dedicated to representatives from Armenia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. EU experts from Hungary, Poland, Portugal and Romania supported this study visit. The study visit was subdivided into six sessions addressing a broad range of issues of arms export controls, among them arms export controls from the perspective of various stake holders, licensing process and inter-agency cooperation, decision making process, engagement of the industry, Internal Compliance Programme as well as the implementation of export controls in a company's day-to-day business operations (based on a visit to a company). This event was a mix between theory and practice and contained case studies and practical examples supporting the presentations.

Individual Assistance to Montenegro (Podgorica, Montenegro, 05 — 06 March 2014) Individual assistance workshop/legal review in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP Following the individual assistance in Montenegro in March 2013, this event marked the second visit of this kind to Podgorica in order to discuss the draft law on arms trade control. As last time, in March 2013, the activity had a main focus on discussing the draft law with the support of EU experts from Belgium, Czech Republic and Portugal. The outreach activity was conducted without prior remote assistance.

Mid Term Assessment Event of the outreach activities organised in the framework of the EU Outreach Programme (LTP) in the field of dual use export controls and under Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP for arms export controls (Brussels, Belgium — 26 March 2014) EU in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP The Commission, together with the European External Action Service organized an assessment event on the Outreach activities that have been carried out so far within the Outreach programme in Export Control of Dual-Use Items and arms export controls under the EU Outreach Programme and Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP on 26 March 2014. All partner countries of the above mentioned programmes were invited as well as a number of EU Experts. The aim of this event was to assess the impact and relevance of implemented outreach activities from the perspective of the beneficiary countries.

Study visit on arms export controls for Azerbaijan, Belarus and Georgia (Sofia, Bulgaria, 13 — 17 April 2014) EU and Republic of Bulgaria in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP The study visit was hosted by the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was dedicated to representatives from Azerbaijan, Belarus and Georgia. EU experts from Austria, Sweden, Greece and Romania supported this study visit. The study visit was subdivided into seven sessions addressing a broad range of issues of arms export controls (arms export controls from the perspective of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Economy, Customs and Ministry of Interior, the licensing process, inter-agency cooperation, considerations in the pre- and post-licensing phases, importance of control measures as well as the implementation of export controls in a company's day-to-day business operations (based on a company visit) and the policy making process). This event was a mix between theory and practice and covered case studies and practical examples supporting the presentations. The case studies focused on weapons smuggling, brokering and inter-agency cooperation.

Study visit on arms export controls for Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia (Paris, France, 27 — 29 April 2014) EU and France in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP The study visit was hosted by the French SGDSN — Secrétariat général de la défense et de la sécurité nationale- and supported by officials from Luxemburg, Belgium, Spain and Italy. The study visit was the first of its kind addressed to the North African and Mediterranean partner countries of the European Neighborhood Policy. The agenda was subdivided into five sessions addressing a broad range of issues of arms export controls, among them arms export control system in France, arms export control systems of the beneficiary countries, practical and technical aspect of arms export controls, the arms export controls from the perspective of the industry, Customs and Ministry of Defence, as well as a session dedicated to the Arms Trade Treaty.

Individual Assistance to Georgia (Tbilisi, Georgia, 05 — 06 May 2014) Individual assistance workshop/legal review in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP The individual assistance event provided for Georgia followed the official request addressed by Georgia in September 2013 to further support the update of the existing trade control legislation. The individual assistance event provided support in drafting secondary legislation which will accompany the recently adopted primary legislation. Important elements of that secondary legislation are the control lists and the assessment criteria. The event was held in cooperation with the US EXBS programme and supported by experts from Germany, Poland and Sweden.

Staff exchange to Georgia (Tbilisi, Georgia, 12 — 16 May 2014) Staff exchange in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP The staff exchange to Georgia was the first of its kind implemented in the framework of the Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP. This activity followed the individual assistance and built on it, focusing on practical assistance directly at the working place. Working with the Common Military List (how to interpret the list, how to ‘read’ the entries, how to assess the items, difference between dual-use list and military) was the focus of this outreach activity. An EU expert from Germany supported this activity.

Regional workshop on arms and dual-use items export control for South East European Countries (Tirana, Albania, 26 — 28 May 2014) EU in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP Participating countries to the event were Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. The agenda of the regional workshop was divided into three sessions: application of the Common Position 2008/944/CFSP criteria and the obligation to exchange information, session on breakout groups and implementation and ratification of the Arms Trade Treaty. EU experts from Austria, Belgium Hungary, Luxemburg, Slovenia as well as from the University of Coventry (UK). The breakout groups were moderated by EU experts and discussed case studies focusing on issues related to free trade zones, end-user verification, exchange of denial information as well as a case study on transit and transshipment prepared by Albania. The two breakout groups were moderated in parallel and the outcome was presented to the plenary.

Study visit on arms export controls for Armenia, Belarus and Ukraine (Vienna, Austria, 14 — 18 July 2014) EU and Austria in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP The study visit was hosted by the Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and Foreign Affairs — and supported by officials from Austria, Bulgaria, Greece, Luxemburg and Romania. The study visit was subdivided into eight sessions addressing a broad range of issues of arms export controls (arms export controls from the perspective of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Customs and Intelligence, inter-agency cooperation, challenges of controlling transit and transshipment, end-user and end-use assessment…). This event was a mix between theory and practice and included case studies and practical examples. The case studies focused on transit and transshipment, legal requirements in the licensing application process and inter-agency cooperation.

Staff exchange to Georgia (Tbilisi, Georgia, 08 — 12 September 2014) Staff exchange in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP The staff exchange to Georgia was the second of its kind implemented in the framework of the Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP. This activity followed the staff exchange in May 2014 and built on it, continuing the focus on practical assistance directly at the working place. An EU expert from Germany supported this activity.

Individual Assistance to Armenia (Yerevan, Armenia, 07 — 08 October 2014) – back-to-back with a workshop organized in the framework of the dual-use outreach program under the Instrument for Stability; second part of the individual assistance — on 14 — 15 of October 2014 — joint event with OSCE Individual assistance workshop/legal review in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP The individual assistance event provided for Armenia, followed the official request addressed by Armenia in June 2014. The issue of inter-agency cooperation and the Armenian legal framework in the field of arms export controls were two main topics discussed in the framework of the COARM individual assistance event. The individual assistance event provided the opportunity to have in depth discussions with the representatives of the Armenian Ministry of Defence with regard to issues like the control lists, assessment criteria and transparency of the decision making process, definition of various terms, challenges in controlling brokering activities etc. In order to secure the findings and the results of the discussions held in the framework of the individual assistance, an EU expert (Sweden) participated in the OSCE country visit to Armenia which took place in Yerevan, one week after the COARM event, namely on 14 and 15 of October 2014.

Regional workshop on arms export controls for Eastern European and Caucasian Partners of the ENP (Tbilisi, Georgia, 21 — 22 October 2014) — back-to-back with two workshops organized in the framework with the dual-use outreach program under Instrument for Stability EU in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP Participating countries to the regional event were Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. This regional workshop addressed policy, licensing and customs representatives and discussed the importance of trade controls as a ‘security instrument’ (combating proliferation without hampering legitimate trade) and the licensing instruments used to ease the administrative burden (e.g. facilitating licensing procedures, exceptions, exemptions, open licences etc). The breakout groups’ session afterwards offered the participants a dialogue platform to inter-act and to share experiences and best practices. The breakout groups session on the case studies provided the participants the opportunity to discuss various assessment criteria based on three case studies (export, brokering and transit) as well as to identify legal and procedural solutions in trade control. The last session discussed the state of play of the Arms Trade Treaty.

Regional seminar on arms export controls for North African Mediterranean countries of the ENP (Algiers, Algeria, 28 — 29 November 2014) EU in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP Participating countries to the event were Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. This regional workshop aimed to discuss day-to-day challenges related to arms export controls with a focus on import and transit. Practical case studies allowed for in depth-discussions and sharing of experiences and the round table discussions offered to the participants a dialogue platform to inter-act and to share experiences and best practices. The session on effective enforcement of trade controls introduced best practices in this area to the attendees, how preventive enforcement can be best implemented, how to establish a penal system based on effective, dissuasive and proportionate sanctions. The session on transparency offered the attendees an overview of the content of the EU Annual Report on arms exports as well as best practices in national arms export reports were shared. Finally, the last session discussed the state of play of the Arms Trade Treaty.

Regional workshop on arms and on dual-use items export control for South East European Countries (Belgrade, Serbia, 05 — 06 November 2014) — back-to-back with the dual-use outreach program under Instrument for Stability (Industry Outreach and Regional Exchange of Information Forum on 4th of November 2014) EU in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP Participating countries in this event were Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. The event focused on brokering controls, transit/transshipment, end-use verification, implementation of the Common Military List, the assessment of the Common Position Criteria, and reporting requirements as stated in the Common Position. The workshop also covered the implementation and ratification of the Arms Trade Treaty. Participants also addressed various case studies in breakout groups, both on a national level and related to their respective expertise (licensing, policy and customs).

Individual Assistance to Serbia (Belgrade, Serbia – on 7th of November 2014) – back-to-back with the Regional workshop mentioned above Individual assistance workshop/legal review in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP Representatives from the Serbian Ministry of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs presented their Law on Exports and Imports of Arms and Military Equipment, which was adopted in October 2014.

Individual Assistance to former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (Skopje, 27 — 28 November 2014) Individual assistance workshop/legal review in implementation of Council Decision 2012/711/CFSP Main objective of this meeting was to discuss the implementation and enforcement of the Law on Production and Trade in Arms and Military Equipment. While focus was mainly on the law itself on the first part of the meeting, the second part was used to clarify any remaining questions and to discuss several case studies which the contact points from the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia had shared prior to the meeting. Furthermore, the event was also used to familiarise both the participants and the experts with the new outreach website (https://export-control.jrc.ec.europa.eu/).

PROMOTION OF THE ARMS TRADE TREATY

Seminar ‘Supporting the arms trade treaty negotiations: Options for discussions’, Geneva, 28 February–1 March 2013 EU in implementation of Council Decision 2013/43/CFSP The seminar discussed concrete and specific text proposals for moving towards consensus on particular elements of the draft arms trade treaty based on the draft achieved by the July 2012 diplomatic conference. It accordingly paid specific attention to issues relating to the scope of items and activities to be controlled, the prohibition of certain arms transfers and national assessment criteria, the reporting required under the Treaty and its application together with other possibly relevant international agreements. The seminar was intended to provide for an additional platform for discussion and exchange of view in order to facilitate forthcoming negotiations at the March 2013 final diplomatic conference.

Seminar ‘Implementing the arms trade treaty: next steps’ Geneva, 17—18 June 2013 EU in implementation of Council Decision 2013/43/CFSP The seminar discussed concrete challenges relating to the entry into force of the ATT and ways to support its early entry into force and effective implementation. It paid specific attention to international assistance needed to support such an effective implementation. In this regard, the seminar enabled to take stock of the initiatives already envisioned in terms of international assistance and implementation support and to further approach their desirable coordination at all relevant levels (national, regional organizations, UN-related, NGO). The seminar also discussed lessons learned from already existing assistance activities in the field of strategic trade controls and the ways in which they could be built upon and utilized by ATT-related efforts.

Meeting of government and civil society experts on the ATT (EGAI 3) Berlin, 1 — 2 July 2014 Germany in cooperation with NGO Saferworld Assistance towards the fulfilment of the ATT’s objectives and purpose by encouraging consistent and robust interpretation and application of the ATT’s provisions among a wide group of early signatory and ratifying states, thereby helping to enhance the effectiveness of the ATT over time.

Regional Seminar to Support the Implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty for Latin America and the Carribbean, Bogota, Colombia, 18 — 19 November 2014 EU in implementation of Council Decision 2013/768/CFSP The workshop enabled participants to share experiences made with regard to ATT ratification and implementation. Another key objective of this regional seminar was to identify linkages between the EU ATT Outreach Project (ATT-OP) and assistance provided by regional organisations. Participants with a variety of backgrounds (diplomatic, military/defence, technical and law enforcement) as well as representatives of international and regional organisations, NGOs and the industry were invited. Furthermore, this seminar provided the opportunity to involve regional networks and organisations in promoting the ATT.

Second Round of Informal Consultations for the First Conference of States Parties to the ATT Berlin, 27—28 November 2014. Germany Working meeting with the goal of further advancing the preparatory process in key areas and taking first decisions: The signatories and States Parties agreed among other things on the schedule of the further preparatory process, on the Provisional Secretariat to be taken over by Mexico and on retaining an inclusive approach in the preparatory process.