Introductory text

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Articles 28 and 31(1) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,

Whereas:

The European Union should work towards a high degree of cooperation in all fields of international relations, in order, inter alia, to preserve peace, prevent conflicts and strengthen international security, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the United Nations Charter.

On 12 December 2003 the European Council adopted a European Security Strategy identifying global challenges and threats, and calling for a rule-based international order based on effective multilateralism and well-functioning international institutions.

The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (‘the Convention’) entered into force on 1 March 1999. It constitutes the only comprehensive international instrument dealing with all aspects of anti-personnel landmines, including their use, stockpiling, production, trade, clearance and victim assistance. Since 1 June 2013, all Member States are party to the Convention and on 1 September 2016, 162 states have expressed their consent to be bound by it.

On 23 June 2008, the Council adopted Joint Action 2008/487/CFSP^f1 in support of the universalisation and implementation of the Convention.

On 3 December 2009, at the second Review Conference of the Convention, the States Parties to the Convention adopted the Cartagena Action Plan 2010-2014 on the universalisation and implementation of all aspects of the Convention. They also adopted the ‘Directive of the States Parties to the Implementation Support Unit’ in which the States Parties agreed that the Convention's Implementation Support Unit (‘ISU’) should provide advice and technical support to States Parties on the implementation and universalisation of the Convention, facilitate communication among the States Parties, and promote communication and information sharing regarding the Convention both to non-party States and to the public. At their 14th meeting in 2015, the States Parties adopted a decision on strengthening financial governance and transparency within the ISU, setting out the conditions for the ISU to undertake activities or projects that do not feature in its yearly budget, including at the invitation of States Parties and non-signatory states.

On 13 November 2012 the Council adopted Decision 2012/700/CFSP^f2 in support of the implementation of the Cartagena Action Plan 2010-2014.

At the Third Review Conference of the Convention held in Maputo, Mozambique, in June 2014, the States Parties adopted the Maputo Action Plan aiming to make significant and sustainable progress towards implementation of the Convention in the period before the next Review Conference (2014-2019) and made a joint declaration to aspire to meet the goals of the Convention ‘to the fullest extent possible by 2025’.

In its conclusions of 16 and 17 June 2014 at the Third Review Conference of the Convention, the Council of the European Union recalled the Union's unity in pursuing the objectives of the Convention, with all 28 Member States now States Parties, and that the Union and its Member States have a long history of support for mine clearance and the destruction of stockpiled anti-personnel mines, as well as for assistance to victims of antipersonnel mines. The conclusions reiterated the Union's unwavering support to States Parties in their full and effective implementation of the Convention, and its commitment to promote universalisation of the Convention, to provide resources to fund mine action, and concrete and sustainable assistance to anti-personnel mine victims, their families and communities,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: