Jas Gawronski, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group. – (IT) Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, according to Operative Provision 8 of the code that we are examining, Parliament and the Council are obliged to re-examine this document every year.

It is a fundamental provision, which should in future become the main means of introducing amendments to the code. It has already enabled us to improve the code, making it a dynamic instrument that can adapt from time to time to the problems and changes associated with the arms export trade in the European Union. Suffice it to say that the ten new countries that have joined the European Union have been able to add their valuable contributions because of this review mechanism.

The most important development introduced by the sixth report concerns the possibility of transforming the code of conduct into a common position, thus making it legally binding. The Council ought to start working towards this without delay, because a policy regulating arms exports, based on a legally binding common code, can play a key role in fighting terrorism and preventing conflicts.

The second welcome new element is the ‘toolbox’, intended for countries where an arms embargo has just been lifted. In this respect, I think the report is right to emphasise the European Parliament’s courageous stand against lifting the embargo on China until that country significantly improves its record on human rights and on civil, religious and political freedoms.

There are obviously some aspects of the report where we should have liked to see more tangible progress, for instance as regards information exchange and the denial notification system. Nonetheless, the positive results achieved so far bode well for the future.