Division 1 Background and rationale for CFSP support

This Decision builds on earlier Council Decisions to support the UN process leading to the Arms Trade Treaty and to promote the development of more responsible and transparent arms export control systems by third countries^f1. The Treaty was adopted on 2 April 2013 by the UN General Assembly and opened for signature on 3 June 2013.

The declared object of the Treaty is to ‘establish the highest possible common international standards for regulating or improving the regulation of the international trade in conventional arms and prevent and eradicate the illicit trade in conventional arms and prevent their diversion’. Its declared purpose is ‘contributing to international and regional peace, security and stability; reducing human suffering and promoting cooperation, transparency and responsible action by States Parties in the international trade in conventional arms, thereby building confidence among States Parties’. The Treaty's object and purpose are therefore compatible with the Union's overall ambition with regard to foreign and security policy as enshrined in Article 21 of the Treaty on European Union and further specified in the European Security Strategy.

Further to the adoption of the Arms Trade Treaty by the UN General Assembly, the Union has identified three main challenges regarding the Treaty: securing its early entry into force, ensuring its effective implementation and, finally, working towards its universalisation. Export control assistance and outreach is crucial to addressing those challenges and are therefore the central elements of this Decision.

With regard to export control assistance, this Decision foresees the development of a number of dedicated assistance programmes whereby beneficiary countries will be assisted in a tailored and far-reaching manner towards meeting the requirements of the ATT. Assistance will develop according to an assistance roadmap, to be agreed with the beneficiary countries, that will specify priorities for action, ensure local ownership and indicate commitment towards ratification of the Treaty.

In addition to dedicated assistance programmes, this Decision provides for ad hoc assistance activities that will supplement the dedicated assistance programmes in addressing other beneficiary countries with limited and well-specified needs. Those ad hoc assistance activities will enable the Union to address requests for assistance in a flexible and reactive manner.

In order to contribute to the long term sustainability of arms transfer control efforts by the beneficiary countries, this Decision aims to involve stakeholders such as national parliaments, competent regional organisations and civil society representatives who have a long term interest in monitoring the effective implementation of the ATT.

Finally, referring to the challenge of universalisation of the ATT, this Decision includes an outreach component aimed at engaging all relevant countries. The option chosen is to reach out to those countries through the leverage of competent regional organisations to which they belong and which carry out activities related to arms transfer controls.

This Decision therefore provides a comprehensive set of assistance and outreach activities in order to appropriately address the three identified challenges. Actively addressing those challenges is in line with the longstanding and committed support to the Arms Trade Treaty by the Union and its Member States.