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Email this citationCIAO DATE: 12/03
Combating Small Arms & Light Weapons Proliferation: Scope for Action by the EU
Holger Anders
June 2003
Abstract
Illicit trafficking and misuse of small arms and light weapons (SALW) pose serious threats to international peace and security. SALW proliferation facilitates and fuels violent conflicts, causes grave human suffering and contributes to armed banditry and crime. Moreover, the excessive availability of SALW on licit and black markets hinders conflict resolution and greatly undermines sustainable development.
The European Union (EU) and its member states have actively addressed SALW proliferation. Nevertheless, further action is needed. This paper examines some of the measures that the EU and its member states should consider adopting to strengthen EU controls, build capacity in developing countries and promote further international action. These include:
- End-use controls
There remain significant loopholes in national and multilateral export policies and practices. These loopholes facilitate the diversion of SALW into illicit trade networks and limit efforts to ensure that embargoed or other undesirable end users do not acquire legally exported weapons. - Arms brokering
There is an urgent need to strengthen existing regulation of the activities of those involved in the mediation and facilitation of arms transfers. Unscrupulous arms brokers are closely involved in the violation of sanctions and the facilitation of arms transfers to end-users for which EU member states would not authorise arms export licenses. - Marking, registration and tracing Enhancing international and regional tracing capacities of SALW flows is essential to countering the illicit trade. There is however still a lack of institutional capacity for identifying the sources and trade routes of illicitly trafficked weapons.
- Donor assistance to SALW control Providing support for SALW control in developing countries, in particular in post-conflict situations, can significantly contribute to improving security. The EU should examine ways in which it can strengthen its assistance and encourage countries affected by excessive SALW availability to request EU assistance.
- Promoting international action The EU and its member states have an important role to play in promoting action in regional and international organisations. For instance, the EU and its members should mobilise support for strengthened measures to combat SALW proliferation within the UN framework at the July UN Biannual Meeting of States on Combating the Illicit Trade in Small Arms.
The EU has already developed one of the most sophisticated regional control regimes on SALW. However, controls within the EU still contain a number of loopholes. These must be closed. EU action must also be complemented by concerted efforts on national, regional and international levels. Leadership by the EU can play a critical role in mobilising support for broader efforts. The July 2003 UN meeting on the illicit trade in small arms provides an important opportunity for this, and efforts should be made to identify partners willing to move forward. In this way the EU can lead global efforts to control the trade in SALW and, in turn, counter further proliferation, trafficking and misuse.
