ATT CSP10 - EU Statement on Transparency and Reporting

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ATT CSP10 - EU Statement on Transparency and Reporting

21.08.2024 Press and information team of the Delegation to the UN in Geneva

EU Statement

Transparency and Reporting

Arms Trade Treaty

Tenth Conference of States Parties

Geneva, 19-23 August 2024

Mr. President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania[1], Republic of Moldova and Georgia, as well as the EFTA country Norway, member of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.

Further to the ATT Secretariat presentation at the Working Group meeting, the EU expresses its deep concern for the low rate of annual reporting, which is the lowest recorded, following a steady decline in the reporting rate since the ATT entered into force. Almost one fifth of States Parties have never reported. Such a trend and figures indicate that fewer and fewer states, for various reasons, remain committed to this fundamental obligation to show their compliance with the ATT.

In this context, we reiterate the call upon all concerned States to share, at the ATT forum or bilaterally, the details of their actual challenges and to the extent practicable, internal issues that hamper reporting, so that other stakeholders can adjust their assistance to each State delivering on their legal obligations under theATT. To that end, we also encourage the use of the ATT Needs and Resources Matching Database. We support the adoption by CSP10 of the list of practical implementation questions.

The EU is open to learning about the specific needs of States facing reporting challenges to consider them in future outreach planning. The EU reiterates its own commitment to supporting the ATT Secretariat in capacity building for States Parties in reporting, under a dedicated funding instrument. In October 2023, the EU adopted the second phase of funding, to support the ATT Secretariat over the next two-year period.

The EU remains a steadfast supporter of cooperation, responsibility, and transparency in the international arms trade, as underlying principles of the ATT. Since reporting on arms exports and imports is one of the cornerstone obligations of the ATT, the EU reiterates its call on all States Parties to fulfil their reporting obligations not only in a timely but also transparent manner. We encourage all States Parties to report publicly in the interest of enhancing the relevance of ATT reports, and facilitating effective information-sharing on transfer decisions.

We would like to emphasise the importance of regional contextualisation and the role of regional organisations in incentivising and setting standards in transparency, thereby supplementing the letter and spirit of ATT legal obligations. We encourage States to seek neighbourhood partnerships and peer-to-peer assistance, and in this context, we express appreciation for States Parties that assumed the role of "regional reporting champions", in line with the tasking of CSP9.

The EU and its Member States attach great importance to transparency in the arms trade, and thus publish detailed data on their arms exports every year. The 25^th EU Annual Report on exports of military technology and equipment in the year 2022 was released in December 2023 and is publicly available in a searchable online database on the website of the European External Action Service. This database has been of great benefit to all stakeholders, enhancing transparency. We encourage other regional and national bodies to implement similar systems. The EU annual report displays the number and value of authorised exports for all destination countries, the type of military technology involved as per EU Common Military List mirroring the Wassenaar Arrangement Munitions List, and the number of denials per type of military technology and destination country, as well as the criteria invoked as the reason for denial. The EU annual report for the year 2023 is being finalised and will become public shortly. The EU would like to emphasise that, similarly to reporting for the year 2022, it is aware of considerations regarding national security that could pose challenges to transparency of legitimate transfers of arms and ammunition from EU Member States under the European Peace Facility to Ukraine, which aim to help Ukraine exercise its inherent right of self-defence under Article 51 of the UN Charter. Those transfers remain fully in line with the legal obligations of EU Member States stemming from the EU Common Position 2008/944/CFSP on arms export and with obligations under the Arms Trade Treaty, as well as with the Wassenaar Arrangement Initial Elements.

The EU thanks Mr. Akifumi Fukuoka of Japan for assuming chairmanship for theWorking Group on Transparency and Reporting, welcomes the Group's recommendations, including the multi-year work plan and the mandate for CSP11 working cycle, and encourages the CSP to endorse them.

Thank you, Mr. President.

[1]North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.