Introductory text

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Article 28 thereof,

Whereas:

On 12 December 2003, the European Council adopted the EU Strategy against Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (hereinafter the ‘EU Strategy’), Chapter III of which contains a list of measures to combat such proliferation.

The EU Strategy underlines the crucial role of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction (‘CWC’) and of the OPCW in creating a world free of chemical weapons. As part of the EU Strategy, the Union has committed itself to working towards universal adherence to key disarmament and non-proliferation treaties and agreements, including the CWC. The objectives of the EU Strategy are complementary to the objectives pursued by the OPCW, in the context of the latter's responsibility for the implementation of the CWC.

On 22 November 2004, the Council adopted Joint Action 2004/797/CFSP^f1 on support for OPCW activities, followed on its expiry by Joint Action 2005/913/CFSP^f2, which in turn was followed by Joint Action 2007/185/CFSP^f3. Joint Action 2007/185/CFSP was followed by Decision 2009/569/CFSP^f4 and Decision 2012/166/CFSP^f5 which expires on 31 January 2015.

The continuation of such intensive and targeted assistance from the Union to the OPCW is necessary in the context of the active implementation of Chapter III of the EU Strategy. There is a need for further activities promoting the full implementation of the CWC as well as activities enhancing the preparedness of State Parties to the CWC (‘State Parties’) to prevent and respond to attacks involving toxic chemicals, international cooperation in the field of chemical activities, and the ability of the OPCW to adapt to developments in the field of science and technology. Measures related to the universalisation of the CWC should continue and be adapted to and targeted at the declining number of States not Parties to the CWC.

From 8 to 19 April 2013, the Third Special Session of the Conference of the State Parties to Review the Operation of the CWC took place in The Hague, the Netherlands. The Union supported the final report of the Conference, which addressed all aspects of the CWC and made important recommendations on its implementation. Those recommendations also include priority objectives for the Union referred to in Recital 4 and the EU Strategy. Support for the implementation of those recommendations is crucial to ensure continued relevance of the CWC and preventing the re-emergence of chemical weapons.

The Union has provided political, financial and in-kind support to the joint UN-OPCW operations in Syria aimed at the total destruction of Syrian chemical weapons and agents. The Union is determined to build on the lessons learned from Syria,

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