Parliament to vote on arms export control
MEPs will vote on Wednesday to strengthen checks on arms export and penalise EU members that fail to apply common EU rules.
MEPs call for EU members that do not apply the commonly agreed EU rules on arms export control to be punished.
EU members have diverging policies on exporting to certain countries, despite the common regime which, however, does not allow for sanctions.
In some cases, the arms exported to countries, for example to Saudi Arabia, were used to fuel conflicts that violate EU common positions and thus undermine the entire European arms control effort.
Background
The EU is the second largest arms supplier in the world after the US. In 2016, 40.5% arms exports went to countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
Some countries, such as Germany and the Netherlands, stopped selling arms to Saudi Arabia and other members of the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen because of their military actions.
Debate: Tuesday, 13 November
Vote: Wednesday, 14 November
Procedure: non-legislative resolution