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Arms Trade Treaty: the EU wants to speak with one voice… Not easy!

(Credit:UN Photo/Martine Perret)

(BRUSSELS2) The Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), a binding legal instrument, is being negotiated at UN level. The last phase of the negotiations will take place in July during a 4-week conference which should culminate in the signing of the ATT text. The Europeans are stepping up their work to manage to speak with one voice and weigh in on the negotiations. Indeed, if the European Union will participate in this conference as an observer, with the right to speak, it cannot vote. It therefore expects its Member States to adopt the same negotiating strategy. This is the opinion of the European External Action Service as well as MEPs, who debated (today) on the question during an extraordinary meeting of the Security and Defense sub-committee.

Harmonize international law to defend European interests
There is a consensus in Europe on the need for such a treaty at world level: at European level, the rules are already quite strict (especially at national level, in certain countries more particularly, such as Germany). At EU level, a Common position of 2008 establishes these rules for exports, according to 8 criteria (compliance with international conventions, political situation and respect for human rights in the recipient country, risk of transfer to other countries, etc.). For certain criteria, the export is automatically declared illegal if they are not met. For others, there is then a case-by-case assessment.
The challenge of the ATT for the Member States is therefore to put the European armaments sector on an equal footing with that of other regions, which do not benefit from such tight control. Especially the United States and Russia. Remember that the arms market is dominated by a small number of exporters, and if the USA is well ahead with 53,7% of exports for the period 2005-2009, the European Union still represents 29% . It is therefore for Europeans to fight against unfair competition from other players. The Member States therefore intend to support their industry in this sector which, as MEP Anneli Jäättenmäki (ALDE, Finland, rapporteur on the EP resolution on the ATT negotiations) reminded us, continues to grow despite the crisis and represents lots of jobs.

A single voice for the EU? Not so easy...

However, not all Member States have the same approach: the arms sector is more important for some (the United Kingdom (12,5% ​​of world exports) and France (6%)) than for others. 'others. As a result, "EU cohesion can be put to the testdeclared Fabio Della Piazza, chairman of the Council's "trade in conventional arms" working group (COARM) and in charge of the issue at the EEAS. The latter had moreover recalled last April that officially, there is no There was no common EU position for these negotiations at the UN, but MEPs call on Member States to reach an agreement and speak with one voice.
* And the EU has regularly responded to requests from the UN General Secretariat to give its position on certain elements of the draft treaty. In its latest response, which should be published in a report by the UN SG in a few weeks, and which has been approved by all Member States, the EU reiterates its support for the future treaty. The EU's response indicates in particular that it must cover all arms "transfers" (i.e. not only imports/exports, but also transits and re-exports), that the products as well although commercial activities must be clearly defined in the text, and export authorizations or refusals must be based on "ambitious and comprehensive" criteria. This is a position of principle on which there is consensus within the EU, with Member States remaining free to negotiate the precise provisions of the treaty.
A priori, the ATT should therefore be less strict than the rules already in practice in Europe: the important thing is rather to give a binding legal framework to countries which do not yet have one, that is to say more than 40 member countries of the UN according to MEP Tarja Cronberg (Greens, Finland). "Let's be realistic“So said this one. He is”probable that between the Member States we will have to agree on less strict criteria" than those already existing in the EU, according to Fabio Della Piazza. The ATT should in any case remain compatible with European rules, authorizing its signatories to adopt stronger measures.

As MEPs have pointed out, the important thing is just as much, if not more, to ensure the proper implementation and respect in practice of the treaty. Which is another question...

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