Introductory text

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Articles 28(1) and Article 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), Chapter III of which 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 through releasing financial resources to support specific projects conducted by multilateral institutions, such as the Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS) of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).

On 17 November 2003, the Council adopted Common Position 2003/805/CFSP^f1. That Common Position calls, inter alia, for the promotion of the signing and ratification of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).

The States Signatories of the CTBT have decided to establish a Preparatory Commission (‘the Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO’), endowed with legal capacity, and which has standing as an international organisation, for the purpose of carrying out the effective implementation of the CTBT, pending the establishment of the CTBTO.

The early entry into force and universalisation of the CTBT and the strengthening of the monitoring and verification system of the Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO are important objectives of the Strategy. In this context, the nuclear tests carried out by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has further underlined the importance of the early entry into force of the CTBT and the need for an accelerated building-up and strengthening of the CTBT monitoring and verification system.

The Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO is engaged in identifying how its verification system could best be strengthened, including through the development of noble gas monitoring capabilities and efforts aimed at fully involving States Signatories of the CTBT in the implementation of the verification regime.

In the framework of the implementation of the Strategy, the Council adopted three Joint Actions and three Decisions on support for activities of the Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO, namely Joint Action 2006/243/CFSP^f2, and Joint Actions 2007/468/CFSP^f3 and 2008/588/CFSP^f4, Council Decisions 2010/461/CFSP^f5, 2012/699/CFSP^f6 and (CFSP) 2015/1837^f7.

That Union support should be continued.

The technical implementation of this Decision should be entrusted to the Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO which, on the basis of its unique expertise and capabilities through the network of the International Monitoring System (IMS), comprising over 337 facilities around the globe, and the International Data Centre, is the sole international organisation having the ability and legitimacy to implement this Decision. The projects as supported by the Union can only be financed through an extra-budgetary contribution to the Preparatory Commission for the CTBTO,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: