MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
18.6.2007
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure, by
- –José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra, Stefano Zappalà, Geoffrey Van Orden and Karl von Wogau, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group
- –Ana Maria Gomes, on behalf of the PSE Group
- –Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck, Johan Van Hecke and Marios Matsakis, on behalf of the ALDE Group
- –Raül Romeva i Rueda and Angelika Beer, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
- –Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis, Ryszard Czarnecki, Michał Tomasz Kamiński and Adam Bielan, on behalf of the UEN Group
- –Tobias Pflüger, Luisa Morgantini, Esko Seppänen and Vittorio Agnoletto, on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
B6‑0249/2007
European Parliament resolution on an arms trade treaty: establishment of common international standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional weapons
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its resolutions of 15 March 2001, 15 November 2001, 19 June 2003 and 26 May 2005 on combating the proliferation and misuse of small arms and light weapons (SALW), as well as its annual resolutions on the implementation of the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Transfers,
– having regard to its resolution of 15 June 2006 urging the international community to start negotiations on an international Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) within the United Nations directly after the 2006 UN Programme of Action Review Conference in order to establish a legally binding instrument to regulate arms transfers at global level,
– having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. welcoming the adoption of Resolution 61/89 by the UN General Assembly on 6 December 2006 marking the formal start of a process towards an Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), and noting the overwhelming support which that resolution received from 153 States, indicative of a strong global political conviction that the time is ripe to end the irresponsible arms trade,
B. noting that, as a first step, the UN Secretary General is to seek the views of Member States on the feasibility, scope and draft parameters for a comprehensive, legally binding instrument establishing common international standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional arms,
C. whereas approximately 100 governments have submitted their views, and whereas the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs has indicated that, while submissions received before 20 June 2007 will be included in the report of the UN Secretary General to be presented to the UN Committee on Disarmament in October 2007, States that miss the June deadline will still be able to have their submissions included as addenda to the report,
D. whereas Resolution 61/89 also mandates the Secretary General to convene in 2008 a Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) to examine the feasibility, scope and draft parameters for a comprehensive, legally-binding instrument establishing common international standards for the import, export and transfer of conventional arms,
E. whereas a positive outcome of this consultation process is crucially important to lay the foundations of the future negotiations on the Treaty,
F. reaffirming that, until these negotiations have been concluded successfully, irresponsible arms transfers will continue to cause unacceptable human suffering and exacerbate armed conflict, instability, terrorist attacks, bad governance and corruption, as well as grave violations of the rule of law, human rights and international humanitarian law, and undermine sustainable development,
G. convinced that, pending the outcome of these negotiations, States should not continue to allow previously agreed arms embargoes to be contemptuously ignored and mocked by parties to armed conflicts and unscrupulous arms suppliers,
H. welcoming and supporting the ongoing campaigning efforts of civil society organisations,
1. Calls on all 153 States which voted for the UN resolution, which included all the EU Member States, to send their submissions supporting an ATT to the UN Secretary General without further delay;
2. Urges the Council to devise a programme of activities using various international fora, including NATO, the OSCE and the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, to encourage States to send in their submissions;
3. Urges all States to emphasise in their submissions that the ATT should codify existing obligations under international law with respect to arms transfers, and especially those covering human rights and humanitarian law;
4. Strongly recommends that in order for the ATT to be effective, States base their submissions on the following parameters:
- (i)States are responsible for and must regulate all arms transfers that fall within their jurisdiction;
- (ii)States must assess all international arms transfers in the light of three categories of restriction under existing law:
- (a)express prohibitions whereby States must not transfer arms in certain situations based on existing prohibitions on the manufacture, possession, use and transfer of arms;
- (b)prohibitions based upon the likely use of the weapons, in particular whether the arms are likely to be used to commit serious violations of international human rights law or international humanitarian law;
- (c)criteria and emerging norms that must be considered when assessing arms transfers, including whether the arms will be used for terrorist attacks, violent and/or organised crime, adversely affect sustainable development or regional security or stability, or involve corrupt practices;
(iii) States must agree a monitoring and enforcement mechanism providing for prompt, impartial and transparent investigation of alleged violations of an ATT and appropriate penalties for offenders;
5. Calls on all States to support the work of and engage with the Group of Governmental Experts (GGE) to be established in 2008, to ensure that it makes significant progress towards a meaningful ATT;
6. Remains convinced that critical to the success of the ATT will be greater openness and a new willingness to exchange information about arms transfers, including information on end-users, and that this will require the use of mechanisms, such as an improved version of the UN Register of Conventional Arms, to create a compensating and mutual guarantee of global transparency;
7. Calls upon all States, pending the adoption of an ATT, to take efficient measures to stop the irresponsible brokering and transportation of arms, ammunition and associated military and security equipment of all types, including components and dual-use items, as well as the transfer and licensing of foreign production of such equipment to parties subject to international arms embargoes or who persistently commit serious violations of international human rights law or international humanitarian law;
8. Calls in this context on all Member States to transpose the provisions of the EU Common Position on Arms Brokering into national law in order to maximise the efficiency of efforts to halt irresponsible arms brokering;
9. Categorically denounces trade in arms and ammunition in violation of United Nations Security Council arms embargoes and recognises that the transport of such goods primarily takes place by air; calls upon EU Member States to enhance their cooperation with other States in this area; calls upon the competent international organisations and the appropriate regional organisations to recommend, in coordination with the air transport industry, appropriate preventive measures;
10. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the EU Member States, the Secretary General of the United Nations, the Secretary-General of NATO, the OSCE, the African Union, the Parliamentary Forum on Small Arms and Light Weapons, the Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the NGO Arms Trade Treaty Steering Committee.