C. welcoming the rapid response given by the Commission through its Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO),
which sent a team to assess the damage on the ground, and the immediate provision of €758800 tomeet the urgent needs of the victims,
D. bearing in mind the Algerian authorities’ appeal for international solidarity,
1. Wishes to express its deep sorrow to the victims’ families and to the entire Algerian people and its
representatives in view of the calamity which has befallen them, and pays tribute to the courage shown bythe rescue workers;
2. Asks the Commission to examine every possibility for extending special emergency aid to Algeria to
help the victims of this disaster, which is without precedent in Algeria and is yet further aggravating thealready precarious situation of thousands of Algerian citizens, priority being given to the poorest familieswho have been the worst affected;
3. Calls on the Commission to make available to the Algerian government a team of technical experts
to assess and quantify the damage caused, in order to identify what reconstruction measures are necessaryin terms of urban infrastructure and the organisation of services and in other spheres, and invites theCommission and the Member States to provide aid within the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean Part-nership to help rebuild homes and repair infrastructure;
4. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments
and parliaments of the Member States and of the candidate countries, the Algerian National People’sAssembly and the government of Algeria.
19. Trade in small arms
B5-0723, 0729 and 0730/2001
European Parliament resolution on small arms
The European Parliament,
Mdash having regard to its resolutions of 19 January 1995(1), 15 January 1998(2), 14 May 1998(3),
7October 1999(4), 5 October 2000(5) and 15 March 2001(6) on an EU Code of Conduct on the
export or transfer of arms and the resolution adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Assembly on 21 April1998,
Mdash having regard to the Joint Action adopted by the Council on the European Union’s contribution to
combating the destabilising accumulation and spread of small arms and light weapons,
A. affirming the urgent need for more effective regulation of legal and illicit arms transfers in the wake of
the tragic events of 11 September 2001, in order to cut off lines of supply to terrorist organisationsand to tightly control transfers to governments that abuse human rights and regions of conflict andinstability,
B. welcoming the UN Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small
Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects as an important first step in the international effort toreduce the immense human suffering caused by the proliferation and misuse of small arms and lightweapons,
C. convinced that early and effective action by all States to implement the Programme of Action to
Prevent, Combat and Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspectswill result in significant progress towards this end,
(1) OJ C 43, 20.2.1995, p. 89.
(2) OJ C 34, 2.2.1998, p. 163.
(3) OJ C 167, 1.6.1998, p. 226.
(4) OJ C 107, 13.4.2000, p. 103.
(5) OJ C 178, 22.6.2001, p. 273.
(6) ‘Text Adopted’, Item 20.13.6.2002 EN C140E/587 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday 15 November 2001
D. noting with satisfaction the commitment contained in the Programme of Action for all States to assess
applications for export authorizations according to strict national regulations and procedures thatcover all small arms and light weapons and are consistent with States’ existing responsibilities underrelevant international law; welcoming the commitment to strengthen agreed norms or measures at theglobal, regional or national levels,
E. concerned that in some areas the Programme of Action does not provide for all of the international
mechanisms necessary to address all aspects of the problem, particularly in the areas of arms broker-ing and international arms transfers and noting further, in this context, the need to establish effectivecontrols on the transfer and use of all categories of conventional weaponry,
F. gravely concerned with the lack of effective national and international controls on arms transfers and
on arms brokering, arms financiers and transporters and the inadequacy of national and regionalefforts to tackle this global issue,
1. Calls on the Presidency-in-Office of the Council to appoint a Contact Group of States to pave the
way for negotiations on a legally binding international instrument regulating the activities of arms broker-ing;
2. Calls on all States to start early negotiations on a legally binding international instrument on arms
brokering and conclude such negotiations prior to the 2006 conference;
3. Urges Member States and Associated States to adopt legislation requiring registration and licensing of
arms brokers, including manufacturing, importing, exporting, transferring, and facilitating transfers bymediating financing, or arranging financial transactions, transportation, and freight forwarding betweena supplier and a recipient of arms;
4. Calls on Member States and Associated States to prosecute violators of such requirements, as well as
violators of UN, EU and other regional and national arms embargoes, and include such violations amongextraditable offences in the modified extradition treaties;
5. Encourages Member States and Associated States to compile and publish a list of convicted violators
and to exchange information with other governments and international law enforcement agencies aboutpotential or suspected illicit brokering activities, to exchange information, and provide mutual legal assist-ance to authorities involved in the criminal investigations of, or proceedings against, illicit brokering activ-
ities;
6. Calls on Member States to bring all national and regional control systems for the export of arma-
ments into line with States’ existing responsibilities under international law, and to take steps towards thenegotiation of a legally binding instrument setting out norms and procedures for the international transferof armaments, based on existing responsibilities under international law;
7. Requests the Presidency-in-Office of the Council to take immediate steps to open discussions with
interested States on the agreement of a legally binding convention on international arms transfers and tokeep the Parliament informed about progress made in this area;
8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the govern-
ments of the Member States and of the candidate countries.C140E/588 EN 13.6.2002 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday 15 November 2001