The European Council is deeply concerned at the danger arising from the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction throughout the world. The recent Gulf War showed the absolute necessity of further enhancing the effectiveness of non-proliferation systems.

The Community and its member States support a strengthening of the regime of nuclear non-proliferation and call for all States to become parties to the NPT. They look to an agreement in the near future on a convention on chemical weapons and to the strengthening of the Convention on biological and bacteriological weapons.

The European Council is also alarmed by the stockpiling of conventional weapons in certain regions of the world. To prevent situations of instability recurring in entire regions as a result of such over-armament, the European Council believes that far-reaching international action is needed immediately to promote restraint and transparency in the transfers of conventional weapons and of technologies for military use, in particular towards areas of tension.

The European Council notes with satisfaction that work in progress in the organs of European political cooperation has already, by comparing national policies on arms exports, identified a number of common criteria on which these policies are based, such as:

- respect for the international commitments of the member States of the Community, in particular the sanctions decreed by the Security Council of the United Nations and those decreed by the Community, agreements on non-proliferation and the subjects, as well as other international obligations;

- the internal situation of the country of final destination, as a function of the existence of tensions or internal armed conflicts;

- the national security of the member States and of territories whose external relations are the responsibility of a member State, as well as that of friendly and allied countries;

- the behavior of the buyer country with regard to the international community, as regards in particular its attitude to terrorism, the nature of its alliances, and respect for international law;

- the existence of a risk that the equipment will be diverted within the buyer country or re-exported under undesirable conditions.

In the perspective of Political Union, the European Council hopes that on the basis of criteria of this nature a common approach will be made possible, leading to a harmonisation of national policies.

The Community and its member States attach particular importance in the framework of their internal consultations and within the competent international fora to transparency in conventional arms transfers. They will attach priority to the establishment of a United Nations register on conventional arms transfers and will table a draft resolution in this sense at the next UN General Assembly.

The European Council calls on all States to support this initiative and others which aim to prevent the uncontrolled spread of weapons and military technologies.

Additional Criteria Adopted in 1992

- compatibility of the arms exports with the technical and economic capacity of the recipient country, taking into account the desirability that states should achieve their legitimate needs of security and defense with the least diversion for armaments of human and economic resources.

EC Council decisions on Non-proliferation and Arms Exports

Declaration on Non-Proliferation and Arms Exports

Additional Criteria Adopted in 1992