Introductory text

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

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

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

Whereas:

On 12 December 2003 the European Council adopted the EU Strategy against Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction (‘the Strategy’), which states that non-proliferation, disarmament and arms control can make an essential contribution in the global fight against terrorism by reducing the risk of non-State actors gaining access to weapons of mass destruction, radioactive materials and means of delivery. Chapter III of the Strategy contains a list of measures that need to be taken both within the Union and in third countries to combat such proliferation.

The Union is actively implementing the Strategy and is giving effect to the measures listed in Chapter III thereof, in particular by working towards the universalisation and, where necessary, strengthening of the main treaties, agreements and verification arrangements on disarmament and non-proliferation and by releasing financial resources to support specific projects conducted by multilateral institutions such as the United Nations (UN) Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT).

In his Agenda for Disarmament entitled ‘Securing our Common Future’, which was launched on 24 May 2018, the UN Secretary-General noted that the current nuclear risks were unacceptable and that they were growing.

On 13 April 2005 the UN General Assembly adopted the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, which was opened for signature on 14 September 2005.

The technical implementation of this Decision should be entrusted to the UNODC and the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) of the UNOCT.

This Decision should be implemented in accordance with the Financial and Administrative Framework Agreement concluded by the European Commission with the UN concerning the management of financial contributions by the Union to programmes or projects administered by the UN,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: