EU-erklæring om plenumsmøte i Busan

EU Statement

Missile Technology Control Regime

Plenary Meeting

Busan, Republic of Korea, 17- 21 October 2016

 

Mr. Chairman,

1. I have the honour to take the floor on behalf of the European Union and its Member States participating in the MTCR.

2. [alignment clause]

3. The EU wishes to congratulate you, Ambassador Sang Wook HAM, on becoming the new Chair of the MTCR. We seize this opportunity to also express our gratitude to the Government of the Republic of Korea for its warm hospitality in hosting this Plenary Meeting here in Busan.

4. The EU would like to extend its appreciation to Ambassador Piet de Klerk and his team from the joint chairmanship of Luxemburg and The Netherlands, for the excellent work, good spirit and for the accomplishments since 2015. Finally, we extend our thanks to France for carrying out the work of central Point of Contact in a commendable manner.

 

Mr. Chairman,

5. The European Union warmly welcomes India's accession to the MTCRand its full implementation of the relevant guidelines. This is a very important development, which will greatly strengthen the MTCR regime. We are now looking forward to India’s contribution within the MTCR to the international non-proliferation efforts.

6. The EU and its Member States are convinced that we need strong and coordinated national and international export controls. In this regard, we regret that nine EU Member States are still missing around this table. The last plenary meeting did not progress on this membership issue. The EU strongly appeals to all MTCR participants to contribute to finding a way forward.

7. The candidatures should be examined individually on their merits. In this sense, compliance with technical criteria and export control lists must be the measure used when evaluating the candidature. The EU and its Member States participating in MTCR strongly support the applications of Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Each of them has ratified the main international non-proliferation and disarmament instruments, including the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty), BTWC (Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention) and CWC (Chemical Weapons Convention), and has shown its commitment to non-proliferation. They all support UNSCR 1540 and have submitted national reports on implementation. All of these countries individually meet the criteria for membership.

8. As EU member states, their laws and policies need to be fully in line with EU legislation and policy in the field of non-proliferation, and they have signed up to the EU strategy on non-proliferation of Weapons of Mass destruction. The EU export control regime is unique in the sense that Council regulation 428/2009 on exports controls of dual use items legally binds all 28 members of the EU. Should any EU Member State remain outside the MTCR, the coherence of EU export control on proliferation of sensitive items would be weakened. Given the single market, each EU Member State is potentially a significant supplier of any item produced in the European Union. Full membership of all EU Member States would thus reinforce the efficiency of MTCR export controls, reducing the risk of diversion of means of delivery and related materials and goods. The time has come for them to join the MTCR. 

 

Mr. Chairman,

9. The EU is seriously concerned about the proliferation of missile technology. The development, tests or use of ballistic missiles is clearly a destabilizing factor in various regions of the world. The MTCR and other export control regimes are important tools for curbing the proliferation of missile technology. They enable us to frustrate and delay missile programmes of concern. But challenges remain with much still to be done.

10. The MTCR has a crucial role to play in tackling the proliferation of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and UAV technologies. The EU strongly supports the MTCR and other multilateral instruments, such as UN Security Council Resolution 1540, the Hague Code of Conduct against the proliferation of ballistic missiles, the Wassenaar Arrangement and the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI). The EU is also in favour of examining further multilateral steps to prevent the threat of missile proliferation.

 

Mr. Chairman,

11. The acceleration of missile programmes is disturbing. So is the increased progress in the quality and the quantity of missile technology in certain countries. The cases of the DPRK, Iran and Syria are of particular importance.

12. The DPRK’s nuclear tests of January 6^th and September 9^th, as well as the series of ballistic missile tests, including intermediate range and submarine launched missiles, constitute a severe threat to regional and international peace and security. The European Union has repeatedly condemned in the strongest terms this illegal and extremely dangerous behavior. The DPRK's missile launches also endanger air and sea traffic in the region. The DPPK must abide by its international obligations and refrain from further provocative actions. It must also re-engage constructively with the international community and in particular the Six-Party Talks by taking meaningful steps towards denuclearisation in order to work towards lasting peace and security on a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

13. Iran's development and testing of ballistic missiles and space launch vehicles are a matter of serious concern for the EU, given the inherent risks for regional stability. The EU strongly supports the historic agreement of 14 July 2015 between the E3/EU+3 and Iran on a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in full conformity with NPT principles. UNSC Resolution 2231 foresees that the ballistic missiles restrictions remain in place until eight years after the JCPOA Adoption Day or until the date on which the IAEA submits a report to the IAEA Board of Governors and in parallel to the Security Council confirming the Broader Conclusion, whichever is earlier. The EU maintains its prohibition on the export of missile-related goods to Iran.

14. The EU is concerned about the short-range and medium-range ballistic missile launches, which Iran conducted in March of this year, which is inconsistent with resolution 2231. The ballistic missiles which were tested fall under the MTCR Category I systems. The EU will continue to closely follow discussions held in the Security Council on this matter.

15. Since December 2012, the Syrian government has launched hundreds of ballistic missiles, ranging from liquid-propelled and Scud-based missiles but also more accurate and more operational solid-propelled SRBMs. The Syrian activities related to missile technology, possibly with technical and financial support of third countries, should be a source of concern for the international community.

 

Mr Chairman,

16. As the MTCR is making efforts to strengthen outreach, I would like to draw your attention to the EU's own outreach activities. The EU-P2P programme on dual use currently covers 34 countries from 6 regions. This includes countries for which MTCR is conducting outreach. The EU programme aims to enhance the effectiveness of export control systems of dual-use items and related materials, equipment and technologies. The European Commission is responsible for the EU outreach programme, but the implementation is carried out by various agencies in EU Member States. More than 200 experts from all 28 EU Member States contribute with technical expertise to this programme. With your permission, the EU would like to give a more detailed presentation of its outreach programme later today, under the relevant agenda item.

17. In addition to the traditional outreach activities, the EU-P2P programme hosted in Brussels, June 2016 a technical dialogue between non-members and members of the export control regimes on export control governance. It brought together around 60 participants from a wide range of backgrounds including senior officials from China, India, Pakistan and other P2P partner countries in South East Europe and Asia – including many that are not members of all four multilateral export control regimes (Australia Group, Missile Technology Control Regime, Nuclear Suppliers Group and Wassenaar Arrangement). These export control regimes were formally represented at the event. The EU appreciated in particular the active involvement of the MTCR presidency.

 

Mr. Chairman, 

18. Finally, we would like to express, once more, our availability to assist the MTCR Chair not only until the next plenary session, but also during the activities that the current and following chairs intend to undertake in the coming years.

 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.