Parliamentary questions
3 October 2011 O-000228/2011
Question for oral answer
to the Commission
Rule 115
Anneli Jäätteenmäki, Jelko Kacin, Marietje Schaake, Baroness Sarah Ludford, Ivo Vajgl, Charles Goerens, on behalf of the ALDE Group
Subject: Arms trade treaty
EU Member States are significant arms exporters. Seven of the ten biggest arms exporters in the world come from the EU. In recent years numerous EU countries have exported arms and arms technologies to North Africa and to the Middle East (including Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Yemen and Bahrain), and Italy and France exported arms to Libya as late as 2010.
There are no global norms on arms transfers. The UN is in the process of preparing a global arms trade treaty and will hold a conference on the treaty in 2012. A working group to prepare the treaty and the conference was established last summer. The working group has now met twice and will meet again in July this year.
Corruption within the security and defence sector, particularly in the arms trade, is a big and multifaceted problem and needs more attention. The EU Common Position on Control of Exports of Military Technology and Equipment (2008) does not include any articles on corruption.
1. What are the EU’s priorities for the global arms trade treaty?
2. How will the EU ensure that sufficient criteria are included in the global arms trade treaty concerning corruption? What are the EU benchmarks?
3. Will the EEAS / Commission prepare a common EU position on corruption in the arms trade, or are any such preparations under way?
