Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 3 Nov 1999

Vol. 510 No. 1

Written Answers. - Arms Trade.

Bernard J. Durkan

Ceist:

74 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will use his influence to bring about a review of the EU code of conduct on arms control with a view to ensuring that it becomes an effective barrier to illegal and unethical arms trading; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21912/99]

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Andrews)

The EU code of conduct on arms exports, adopted in June 1998, is a major step forward in gaining international recognition for arms restraint.

By virtue of the code, EU states have agreed to examine all requests for licences to export military goods against a set of eight criteria, including the human rights record of the recipient state, the impact on regional stability and on the internal situation of the recipient state of any proposed sale, the attitude of the recipient state towards international arms control agreements and its attitude towards the international community, in particular in relation to terrorism.

The code provides for an annual review to ensure its effective implementation. The first such review has just been completed, and the resulting document has been published in the EU Official Journal. This document outlines the measures taken to date to improve the code's implementation and the priorities for future action. In addition, I have arranged for the Irish contribution to the review process to be made publicly available, through the website of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

The EU has made presentations on the code to outside countries, and many of those – including the central and eastern European applicant states, Norway and Canada – have agreed to use the code in their licence considerations. The US has also agreed on the importance of the eight criteria in its considerations.

In January of this year, the German Presidency of the EU proposed an alteration in the format of the code which would have made it legally binding on EU member states. Although it was not possible to achieve this goal, Ireland gave the proposal its full support, and has maintained its position in favour of a continual review and strengthening of the code.