EU programme for preventing and combating illicit trafficking in conventional arms - Second annual report
Date: 2000-01-19
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU programme, arms trade, conventional weapon, illicit trade

19.1.2000

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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(Acts adopted pursuant to Title V of the Treaty on European Union)

EU programme for preventing and combating illicit trafficking in conventional arms

Second annual report

(2000/C 15/01)

INTRODUCTION

The following actions have been undertaken by the European
Union and the Member States during the second year of the
programme:

The EU programme for preventing and combating illicit
trafficking in conventional arms was adopted by the General
Affairs Council on 26 June 1997.

The programme seeks to address the problem of
illicit
trafficking in conventional arms, particularly small arms, both
within the EU and in countries affected by illicit trafficking in
small arms. The programme is split into three main parts. The
first part suggests the fostering of enhanced law enforcement
cooperation and improving information exchange on illicit
trafficking. The second part encourages the Community and
its Member States to assist other countries in preventing
and combating illicit trafficking of arms by, for example
strengthening laws and administration measures for regulating
and monitoring the transfer of arms, and providing an
adequate number of appropriately trained police and customs
officials for the enforcement of national arms export control
legislation. The third part of the programme outlines ways for
the Community and its Member States to assist affected
countries, especially in post-conflict situations, in suppressing
the illicit circulation and trafficking of arms by, for example
setting up weapons collection, buy-back and destruction
programmes, setting up educational programmes to promote
awareness among the local population of the negative con-
sequences of illicit trafficking in small arms.

During the second year of its application the Member States of
the European Union have been actively engaged in the
implementation of the guidelines of the EU programme for
preventing and combating illicit trafficking in conventional
arms and the dissemination of its principles.

The associated countries of central and eastern Europe, Cyprus
and the EFTA countries members of the EEA have aligned
themselves with this programme.

1. Combating illicit trafficking of arms within and into

the EU

— In order to enhance national coordination and infor-
mation exchange in the field of illicit trafficking of
conventional arms, Belgium set up an interdepartmen-
tal committee that has now become fully operational.
The most important items on their agenda are the
problems relating to the control of intra-Community
transfers of military material, competency problems
between departments concerning the handling of
illegal transfers, possibility of fraudulent activities in
the area of export licences and certificates and the
concerning information
a protocol
creation of
exchange between the different services.

— Sweden also has in place an ad hoc group consisting
of representatives of different authorities active in the
field of arms transfers; the Board of Customs, the
Security Service (Police), Military Intelligence and the
National Defence Radio Institute. The group meets
regularly on a monthly basis in order to discuss matters
of common interest and enhance cooperation between
them.

— The Netherlands established an interagency working
group on preventing and combating illicit trafficking
in conventional arms, following a recommendation to
this effect in the EU programme. This working group
consists of representatives from the Ministries of
Justice, Home Affairs, Defence, Trade and Foreign
Affairs. The main objectives of the group are to create
a network of responsible officials, to promote the
exchange of information and to coordinate the Dutch
position in various international forums dealing with
illicit arms trafficking.

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— France has set up a working group dealing with light
weapons and small arms. This working group consists
of representatives of the Ministries of the Interior,
Defence, Foreign Affairs, Justice and Finance as well as
the General Secretariat of National Defence (SGDN).
The group tackles the issue with a broad perspective,
in particular to combat illicit trafficking. This group
meets regularly and has started to cooperate with
French non-governmental organisations (NGO) that
are members of the International Action Network on
Small Arms (IANSA).

— Finland has been training customs officers of the
neighbouring areas to develop their administrative
practices and knowledge on the procedures relating to
transfers of arms and border control.

— The EU Police Cooperation working group endorsed a
route policing project for combating illicit trafficking
of firearms within the Member States. It is based on a
pilot project of the Schengen Firearms and Ammu-
nition working group.

2. Combating illicit trafficking of arms in other regions

The Council working group on exports of conventional
arms (COARM) had agreed that Member States would
concentrate the second and third parts of the programme
initially on southern Africa. However other problem
regions have been included in the assistance given by the
Member States.

— Bearing in mind UN Security Council Resolution 1209
(1998) on the situation in Africa, illicit arms flows to
and in Africa and recalling the EU code of conduct on
arms exports and the EU Joint Action on small arms,
the Presidency of the EU issued a Declaration on
18 June 1998 on behalf of the EU on the arms trade to
and within the Great Lakes Region. In the declaration
the EU expressed its concern over arms flows to the
region and its commitment to conflict resolution and
peacekeeping efforts underlining that in the search for
a long-term solution for conflicts, high priority should
be given to measures which curb arms supplies,
their illicit circulation and the illicit trafficking which
finances them.

— The Member States of

the European Union have
co-sponsored UN General Assembly Resolutions
53/77E ‘to convene an international conference on the
illicit arms trade in all its aspects no later than 2001’
(to which they have also provided a common reply)
and 53/77T on illicit traffic in small arms.

— The EU Development Council Resolution on small
arms and light weapons, adopted on 21 May 1999,
recommends that the Community and the EU Member
States devote particular attention to combating the
illicit trafficking of small arms also in the field of
development cooperation.

— Sweden and Finland among others have given financial
aid to the UN Institute for Disarmament Research in
Geneva and to the Monterey Institute for International
Studies (California) for a preparatory committee for a
global campaign on small arms and light weapons.
Belgium and the Netherlands have also given financial
assistance to the latter.

— The United Kingdom has provided financial assistance
to the South African NGO Institute for Security Studies
for a project to prepare legislation for South Africa as
a result of the Vienna discussions on illicit arms
trafficking. The Netherlands has also donated funds
to this institute and their ‘Towards Implementation
Programme’.

— The Netherlands and Belgium are funding a long-term
NGO-tabled project on ‘Tackling the spread of light
weapons: deepening collaboration between EU Mem-
ber States and associate countries’.

— The EU members have welcomed the moratorium on
the import, export and manufacture of light weapons
by the economic community of western African States
(ECOWAS) and many partners including Belgium, the
Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Sweden and France
have given economic support to the moratorium. The
United Kingdom is assisting in the development of
capacity within the ECOWAS secretariat to administer
the moratorium. The UK also funded a series of
seminars to spread the ‘Mali message’ in the region and
run a number of projects aimed at peace-building and
conflict prevention in West Africa. To help the States
this sub-region France conducts a cooperation
of
programme aiming at combating trafficking and trans-
border criminality in West Africa.

— Portugal co-funded a seminar in Libreville in June
1998 on peace consolidation through the means of
disarmament.

— Sweden has provided financial aid for the United
Nations Lima Regional Centre for disarmament in
support of national and international institutions in
that area to combat illicit trafficking, to strengthen

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national capacity to combat such traffic, and for the
evaluation of such actions and for a project aiming at
creating a regional ‘clearing house’ for combating illicit
arms trafficking. Sweden has also given financial
assistance to a NGO for its activities relating to the
implementation of the EU programme for preventing
and combating illicit trafficking and the EU code of
conduct aiming at strengthening collective efforts by
the EU and the associated countries in tackling illicit
trafficking in conventional arms in central and eastern
Europe.

— In southern Africa, the Institute for Security Studies
and a NGO held a conference in May 1998 on
‘Developing controls on arms and illicit trafficking’
which adopted a regional action programme on small
arms and light weapons and illicit arms trafficking. The
EU-SADC ministerial conference held in Vienna in
November 1998 endorsed the conclusions of
the
conference and the follow up action.

— The EU supports increased transparency in inter-
in particular through the
national arms transfers,
submission of returns to the UN register of conven-
tional arms. The EU has undertaken a series of
demarches to urge all UN Member States to submit
their national data to the register in full and on time.

— The EU has entered into dialogue on small arms with
various regions both in view of expanding political
support for the key principles and measures that
should be pursued through regional and incremental
approaches and through global efforts as well as in
view of the EU contribution to specific actions on
small arms.

— The UN Disarmament Commission,

in May 1996,
adopted ‘Guidelines for international arms transfers’
that were the first efforts to contribute to solving the
problem of illicit arms trade and approach the problem
in a comprehensive manner and encourage further
international
initiatives. The EU also welcomes the
adoption at the UNDC in April this year of guidelines
on conventional arms control and limitation and
disarmament with particular emphasis on the consol-
idation of peace.

calls for an international programme of action on
practical disarmament and peace-building to, inter alia,
integrate measures to combat illicit arms trafficking in
all its aspects (the Brussels call for action). Sweden
and the Netherlands financed a NGO meeting in
conjunction with this event.

— The Ministry of Foreigns Affairs of Finland organised a
workshop in December 1998 on small arms and light
weapons where the problem of illicit trafficking and
proliferation of conventional weapons was widely
discussed putting the emphasis on the problems en-
countered in the Third World especially in Africa.

— Belgium hosted from 30 November to 1 December a
seminar on the EU programme on illicit trafficking
organised by a NGO. The seminar was organised in
two parts. The first concerning illicit trafficking of
arms to and from the countries of the European Union
and the associated countries. The second was dedicated
to the EU actions and help to certain regions strongly
affected by this problem.

— The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden together
with the Swedish National Defence College organised
a seminar on ‘Removal of small arms and light weapons
in the context of peace missions’ in Stockholm on 11
and 12 March 1999. The objective of the seminar was
to provide an opportunity to compile and share
experiences, analyses and strategies among a broad
range of actors, experts and interested participants
from UN agencies, Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Minis-
tries of Defence and Armed Forces, other international
and regional organisations, agencies and institutes, and
NGOs in order to suggest methods and guidelines for
future operations.

CONCLUSIONS

3. Seminars held in the context of the EU programme on

illicit trafficking

— The Brussels Conference on sustainable disarmament
for sustainable development held in October 1998

There has been an ever increasing need to deal with the
problems relating to illicit
trafficking of small arms and
their proliferation, especially in areas of regional unrest and
post-crisis areas. EU Members have contributed to solving this
problem by national projects, EU-led action and policy and
also by participating actively in the work of the international
organisations and projects such as the United Nations-led
action in the former Yugoslavia, the UN’s draft firearms
protocol and in regional projects, especially in Africa.

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The EU Joint Action on small arms adopted in December 1998
provides a comprehensive framework to coordinate and
enhance EU policy in the field of small arms. It enumerates a
set of principles and measures on preventive and reactive
aspects of the issue that the EU Member States shall pursue in
relevant international forums and in a regional context.

transfers, strengthens the exchange of relevant information and
consultations amongst partners and enhances transparency
In the Council working group on
in arms transactions.
conventional arms export many issues relating and contribu-
ting to a lessening of the illicit trafficking are being tackled, for
example the issue of arms brokerage.

relevant
regulatory and
Close coordination amongst all
enforcement agencies is essential
in combating illicit arms
trafficking. The Member States of the European Union have, in
addition to their national efforts, moved towards close Euro-
pean cooperation, embodied in the 1998 EU code of conduct
on arms exports. This code of conduct establishes criteria of
for the management of arms
responsibility and restraint

In order to avoid unnecessary duplication of work the different
working groups within the EU that deal with the issue of illicit
trafficking of small arms, namely CODUN and COARM,
should try and find ways to further coordinate their efforts in
tackling this difficult global problem. In the future EU Member
States could consider combining the annual reports of the EU
Joint Action on small arms and the EU programme for
combating illicit trafficking into a single document.