Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-10-04-Speech-3-222"
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"en.20001004.9.3-222"2
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". – Mr President, this is an interesting and important debate. I apologise that I shall not be able to be here for the end of it, but I have already been struck by the number of contributions to the debate by people who know a great deal about the subject, including Mr Titley. I would like to thank him very warmly for the excellent report, which addresses a number of extremely complex issues. I can assure him that the Commission has read his report with very great interest and I hope that Member States have also done so, since so much of the action is in their hands.
The Commission attaches great importance to the 2001 UN Conference on the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons. In this respect it is going to be necessary to build credible EU common positions in the coming months. We will continue to consult closely with our partners during the preparatory process and we will work together towards the adoption of effective guidelines for the conference.
These could result in politically or legally binding instruments and a comprehensive international programme of action for the small arms problem. The point I believe is to see our efforts in this regard as part of a comprehensive approach to arms policy in general and as part of the overall endeavour to make ESDP coherent.
May I thank the rapporteur again for his excellent report, which provides a great deal of useful guidance on how to develop our policy in this extremely important area.
We certainly stand ready to collaborate with the Member States to ensure that the report's recommendations are sensibly implemented. Mr Titley has highlighted an essential element of the CFSP. Indeed, as ESDP becomes operational, issues such as arms exports must be seen as forming part of a comprehensive approach. Our aim must be coherence and that I take to be a very important underlying message in the report.
The EU code of conduct establishes a set of detailed principles governing conventional arms exports. These aim at preventing the export of weapons to governments which abuse human rights, to areas of conflict or to regions engaged in arms races.
It is clear that the ultimate responsibility for arms exports belongs to national governments. But the arms trade is currently dealt with in the context of the common foreign and security policy, with which of course the Commission is fully associated. The code has been in existence for one year and, as acknowledged in the first annual report, Member States' initial experiences of its operation during this period were positive. The code has already increased mutual understanding of Member States' policies, it has established an efficient consultation mechanism and it has encouraged dialogue on the implementation of its provisions. It is undeniable, however, that there are grounds for further strengthening of the code and its implementation, as Mr Titley has mentioned.
The aim of the annual review is to identify such potential improvements. Any amendments to the code must enjoy the support of all Member States. In this respect we welcome the adoption of a common list of military equipment covered by the code during the Portuguese presidency, as requested by this report. The Commission services are currently exploring the possibilities of drafting EC legislation on non-military items to which the provisions of the code should apply. This would certainly include instruments which can be used for torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.
A few weeks after the adoption of the code, the associated countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Cyprus plus Iceland and Norway issued a declaration aligning themselves with the criteria and principles in the code. Since then many of those countries have made considerable efforts to comply with the code. We share Mr Titley's concern that associated countries should take the necessary steps to attain European Union standards in the field of arms exports. The Commission services, in the course of their regular meetings with associated countries, continue to encourage them to abide by the code's provisions and fully implement its criteria and to monitor their compliance. Furthermore, the European Union is interested in broadening the acceptance of the main principles contained in the code so as to cover the world's main arms exporters.
The European Union is committed to combating the destabilising accumulation of small arms in many parts of the world. The Commission, in close collaboration with the Member States, was actively involved in the drafting of the European Union joint action on small arms and light weapons. We fully intend to strengthen policy in this area as part of a coherent approach. We agree with the rapporteur that further efforts are needed in establishing common rules for controlling the legal trade and for eradicating trafficking and smuggling in such arms. We are committed to providing financial and technical assistance to countries, international organisations, regional arrangements and NGOs, as proposed by the joint action.
A number of projects are currently in progress or under consideration. Under the EU project in Cambodia, technical, administrative and financial support is provided to the government and to selected NGOs for actions aimed at promoting the control, collection and destruction of weapons.
The European Union is currently considering the continuation of the project beyond its expiry date in November of this year. We are also supporting Operation Rachel, a joint South Africa/Mozambique operation, on the collection and destruction of small arms. Other projects are under consideration in South Ossetia and West Africa."@en1
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