Introductory text

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Article 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 of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO).

On 17 November 2003, the Council adopted Common Position 2003/805/CFSP^f1 on the universalisation and reinforcement of multilateral agreements in the field of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery. 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 to the CTBT have decided to establish a Preparatory Commission, endowed with legal capacity and which has standing as an international organisation, to carry 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 of the CTBTO are important objectives of the Strategy. In that context, the nuclear tests carried out by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea further underlined the importance of the early entry into force of the CTBT and the need for maintaining and strengthening of the CTBT monitoring and verification system.

The United Nations Secretary-General stated in ‘Securing our Common Future: an Agenda for Disarmament’ that by constraining the development of advanced new types of nuclear weapons, the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty put a brake on the arms race and that it also serves as a powerful normative barrier against potential States that might seek to develop, manufacture and subsequently acquire nuclear weapons in violation of their non-proliferation commitments.

In the framework of the implementation of the Strategy, the Council adopted three Joint Actions and four Decisions on support for activities of the Preparatory Commission of the CTBTO, namely Joint Actions 2006/243/CFSP^f2, 2007/468/CFSP^f3 and 2008/588/CFSP^f4, and Decisions 2010/461/CFSP^f5, 2012/699/CFSP^f6, (CFSP) 2015/1837^f7 and (CFSP) 2018/298^f8.

That Union support should be continued.

The technical implementation of this Decision should be entrusted to the Preparatory Commission of 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 (IDC), 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 of the CTBTO,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: