European Parliament resolution on small arms and light weapons
Date: 2005-05-26
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: UN convention, arms control, arms trade, firearms and munitions, public safety, terrorism

C 117 E/230

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

18.5.2006

Thursday 26 May 2005

TEXT PROPOSED
BY THE COMMISSION

AMENDMENTS
BY PARLIAMENT

Amendment 23
Annex, Section 3, paragraph following Guideline 23

In taking action, Member States should pay special attention to
ensuring good governance of employment policies. They should
establish a broad partnership for change by involving parlia-
mentary bodies and stakeholders, including those at regional
and local levels. European and national social partners should
play a central role. Member States should define commitments
and targets in line with the EU Guidelines and Recommen-
dations. Good governance also requires transparency in the allo-
cation of administrative and financial resources. In agreement
with the Commission, Member States
the
resources of the Structural Funds,
in particular the European
Social Fund, on the implementation of the European Employ-
ment Strategy and report on the action taken. Particular atten-
tion should be paid to strengthening institutional and adminis-
trative capacity in the Member States.

should target

In taking action, Member States should pay special attention to
ensuring good governance of employment policies. They should
establish a broad partnership for change by involving parlia-
mentary bodies and all stakeholders, at European, national,
regional and local
levels. Member States, regional and local
actors should define commitments and verifiable targets in
line with the EU Guidelines and Recommendations and specific
regional and local needs. Good governance also requires trans-
parency in the allocation of administrative and financial
resources. In agreement with the Commission, Member States
and regions should target the resources of the Structural Funds,
in particular the European Social Fund, on the implementation
of the European Employment Strategy and report on the action
taken. Particular attention should be paid to strengthening insti-
tutional and administrative capacity in the Member States and
regions.

P6_TA(2005)0204

Small arms (UN prepcom)

European Parliament resolution on small arms and light weapons

The European Parliament,

— having regard to its resolutions of 15 March 2001 (1), 15 November 2001 (2) and 19 June 2003 (3) on

combating the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons,

— having regard to Rule 103(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the UN Member States will meet in June 2005 for the third substantive session of the UN

Open-Ended Working Group on Tracing Illicit Small Arms and Light Weapons,

B. whereas the UN Member States will meet in July 2005 for the Second Biennial Meeting of States to
consider the implementation of the UN Programme of Action on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and
Light Weapons, and in June/July 2006 for the UN Review Conference on the Programme of Action,

C.

D.

reaffirming its concern about the continuing proliferation of small arms and light weapons, which
exacerbates armed conflict and instability, facilitates terrorism, undermines sustainable development
and the rule of law, and contributes to grave violations of human rights and international humanitarian
law,

affirming its intention to further engage the EU and its Member States in a constructive, regular dia-
logue on contents and priorities for EU policies in international and regional initiatives and negotiations
on small arms and light weapons control,

(1) OJ C 343, 5.12.2001, p. 311.
(2) OJ C 140 E, 13.6.2002, p. 587.
(3) OJ C 69 E, 19.3.2004, p. 136.

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E.

F.

convinced that the EU and its Member States have a critical role to play in the development and
promotion of adequate international and regional standards to combat small arms and light weapons
proliferation and misuse,

Thursday 26 May 2005

encouraged by the Council Presidency Statement on Small Arms of 17 February 2005 (1) to the Security
Council of the United Nations, which welcomed the recognition of the explicit need for States to
accelerate and conclude legally binding agreements on the tracing, brokering and transfer of small arms,

G. welcoming the active EU support in the UN Open-Ended Working Group on Tracing Illicit Small Arms
and Light Weapons for a legal agreement and for the inclusion of ammunition for small arms and light
weapons in the instrument's scope,

H. welcoming also the support expressed publicly by the Luxembourg Presidency in Parliament's plenary
debate in Strasbourg on 11 May 2005, as well as by the Governments of Finland, the United Kingdom,
the Netherlands, Ireland, Spain and Poland, for an Arms Trade Treaty and their efforts to work together
legal standards for
with partners to build a regional and global consensus on the need for global
transfers of small arms and light weapons,

I.

J.

K.

L.

concerned, however, about the lack of EU commitment in the UN tracing negotiations to the creation
of follow-up mechanisms to the tracing instrument that would allow the development of relevant best-
practice guidelines to complement minimum global standards,

hoping and expecting that more EU Member States will publicly declare their active support for efforts
to build consensus on the need for the Arms Trade Treaty to ban arms transfers which entail a clear
risk of contributing to serious violations of human rights or international humanitarian law,

regretting the slow progress of the UN broad-based consultations on combating illicit brokering of
small arms and light weapons and the lack of a firm commitment to negotiating an international
agreement on arms brokering controls,

recognising that, by the end of April 2004, the UN Firearms Protocol had come into force as a legally
binding instrument once Poland and Zambia became the 40th and 41st countries to ratify it; stresses
that the Protocol is the first global instrument to commit UN Member States to regulating the manu-
facture, export, import and transit of firearms,

1.
Recommends that the Council and Member States promote a dynamic review mechanism for the
negotiated UN tracing instrument, including the creation of a technical experts' group mandated to draft
best-practice guidelines on the marking, record-keeping and tracing of small arms,
light weapons, and
related ammunition;

Encourages the six EU Member States which have not yet signed the UN Firearms Protocol to do so

2.
without delay;

3.
Urges the Council and Member States to actively build a regional and international consensus on
global standards for arms transfers based on existing obligations of States in international law, and on the
need for an international Arms Trade Treaty;

Recommends in this context that the Council and Member States encourage strong debate at the
4.
Second Biennial Meeting of States in July 2005 on the UN Programme of Action with the objective of
ensuring that negotiations on an Arms Trade Treaty start directly after the 2006 UN Review Conference
on the Programme of Action;

(1) Council Presidency Statement, reference PRES05-013EN, 17.2.2005.

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Thursday 26 May 2005

5.
Calls on the Council and Member States to relaunch their efforts to build a regional and international
consensus on the need for an international treaty on the control of small arms and light weapons brokering;

6.
Proposes that its responsible committee be authorised to draw up an own-initiative report in time for
the 2006 UN Review Conference with the aim of scrutinising EU actions and policy with regard to small
arms and light weapons and further engaging the Council and Member States on their relevant policies at
regional and international level;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Presidency of the Council, the Council, the
7.
Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, and the Secretary-General of the
United Nations.

P6_TA(2005)0205

European External Action Service

European Parliament resolution on the institutional aspects of the European External Action
Service

The European Parliament,

— having regard to Declaration 24 of the Conference of the representatives of the governments of the
Member States on Article III-296 of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe, annexed to the
Final Act of 29 October 2004 of the Intergovernmental Conference on the Treaty establishing a Con-
stitution for Europe (1),

— having regard to the European Council conclusions of 16 and 17 December 2004, in particular points

71 to 73,

— having regard to its resolution of 12 January 2005 on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe,

in particular paragraph 3(d) thereof (2),

— having regard to the hearing held by the Committee on Constitutional Affairs on 15 March 2005,

— having regard to the question for oral answer concerning institutional aspects of the European External
Action Service put to the Commission on behalf of the Committee on Constitutional Affairs (O-0054/
05),

— having regard to the statement made by the Commission at the sitting of 11 May 2005 in reply to that

question, and the subsequent exchange of views,

— having regard to Rule 108(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the form to be taken by the future European External Action Service (EEAS) is extremely
important if we wish to succeed in rendering the Union's external relations more coherent and efficient
and raising their profile,

B. whereas the Secretary-General of the Council and High Representative for the Common Foreign and
Security Policy and the Commission are to submit a joint report on progress in preparing the EEAS to
the European Council at its meeting in June 2005,

C. whereas it seems desirable that the Parliament and the Commission should agree in good time on a

number of issues of principle regarding the form to be taken by the EEAS,

(1) OJ C 310, 16.12.2004, p. 420.
(2) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0004.