# Council Decision 2010/461/CFSP of 26 July 2010 on support for activities of the Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) in order to strengthen its monitoring and verification capabilities and in the framework of the implementation of the EU Strategy against Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Division I: INTRODUCTION

Extent: E+W+S+N.I.

The building up of a well-functioning monitoring and verification system of the Preparatory Commission of the CTBTO is a crucial element for preparing the implementation of the CTBT once it will have entered into force. The development of capabilities of the Preparatory Commission of the CTBTO in the area of noble gas monitoring is an important tool for assessing whether or not an observed explosion is a nuclear test. In addition, the operability and performance of the CTBT monitoring and verification system depends on the contribution of all States Signatories of the CTBT. Therefore, it is important to enable States Signatories to participate in and contribute fully to the CTBT monitoring and verification system.
The Union will support four projects, the objectives of which are the following:
(a) to improve the operation and sustainability of the auxiliary seismic stations (ASS) network of the CTBT’s International Monitoring System (IMS);
(b) to improve the CTBT verification system through strengthened cooperation with the scientific community;
(c) to provide technical assistance to States Signatories in Africa and in the Latin American and Caribbean Region so as to enable them to fully participate in and contribute to the implementation of the CTBT verification system;
(d) to develop an OSI noble gas capable detection system.
The prospects for entry into force of the CTBT have improved due to a more favourable political environment. Given this new dynamic, an increased and urgent focus needs to be put in the coming years on both completing the build-up of the CTBT verification regime and ensuring its readiness and operational capability. The nuclear tests announced by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in October 2006 and May 2009 not only demonstrated the importance of a universal ban on nuclear tests, they also underscored the need for an effective verification regime to monitor compliance of such a ban. A fully operational and credible CTBT verification regime will provide the international community with reliable and independent means to ensure that this norm is respected.
In Joint Actions 2006/243/CFSP, 2007/468/CFSP and 2008/588/CFSP, the Union has focused on strengthening key elements of the CTBT verification capabilities in the areas of noble gas detection, on-site inspections as well as training and technical assistance. While the present proposal builds upon the previous Joint Action projects, a particular focus has been put on elements that strengthen CTBT verification capabilities in a sustainable manner. This is of particular importance in view of the entry into force prospects of the Treaty, at which time the verification regime must be fully operational.
Maintaining the highest possible level of availability of verification data of the IMS will be an important benchmark in assessing the operational readiness of the verification regime at entry into force. Project I therefore addresses the operation and sustainability of the ASS network of the IMS in a systemic way.
Project II addresses the key issue of maintaining the scientific and technological credibility of the CTBT verification regime over the long haul. It aims at ensuring that scientific and technological progress in some specific areas related to CTBT verification are integrated in and applied to CTBT verification requirements. Project III is a direct follow-up to the training and technical assistance projects of Joint Action 2008/588/CFSP in Africa and will be expanded to some states of the Latin and Caribbean (LAC) region. Project IV focuses on strengthening the CTBT on-site inspection (OSI) capabilities through the further development of an OSI capable noble gas (Radio-Xenon) detection system.
The four projects in support of activities of the Preparatory Commission of the CTBTO mentioned above will be implemented and managed by its Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS).

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudn/2010/461/annex/division/I (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/eu-decision-2010-461/annex/division-I
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.