SIPRI collaborated with the European Union Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium (EUNPDC) on several disarmament events at the end of 2023.
EU arms export controls
On 23 November 2023, SIPRI, on behalf of the EUNPDC, organized an ad hoc seminar on ‘A New Era for EU Arms Export Controls? Perspectives for the Current Review of the Common Position’. The seminar discussed EU export controls ahead of the third review process of the Common Position 2008/944/CFSP. This Common Position defines common rules that govern the control of exports of military technology and equipment. The review process is due to be completed in 2024.
The event brought together 51 experts, including from EU institutions and member states, to discuss the geopolitical context influencing the review process and its impact on EU export controls. The seminar also provided inputs for EU member states on steps that could be taken in reviewing the EU Common Position.
Intensive course on nuclear weapons
On 28–30 November, SIPRI brought a group of 20 engineering students to Stockholm on behalf of the EUNPDC. The students took part in an intensive introductory course on the proliferation of nuclear weapons, mechanisms to control their further spread, the security of nuclear and other radioactive material, and pathways to disarmament.
Dr Sibylle Bauer, Director of Studies, Armament and Disarmament, and Vitaly Fedchenko, Senior Researcher with the SIPRI Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Programme, opened the course. Leading experts in the field from SIPRI and beyond led sessions on WMD non-proliferation, arms control, disarmament, nuclear security, forensics, export controls, verification and related subjects.
EUNPDC conference
On 4–5 December, SIPRI participated in the 12th edition of the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Conference in Brussels. Giovanna Maletta, SIPRI Senior Researcher and Acting Programme Director for the Dual-Use and Arms Trade Control Programme, chaired a session on diversion of conventional arms. In her capacity as Chair of the EUNPDC, Dr Bauer spoke at the opening session of the conference and gave closing remarks.
About the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium
The EUNPDC forms the core of a wider European network of non-proliferation and disarmament think tanks that the Consortium is responsible for promoting and coordinating. The EUNPDC is managed jointly by six institutes: the Foundation for Strategic Research, the Peace Research Institute Frankfurt, the International Affairs Institute, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation and SIPRI. The EUNPDC aims to encourage discussion on measures to combat the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems within civil society—particularly among experts, researchers and academics in the EU and third countries. The scope of activities also covers issues related to conventional weapons, including SALW. For more information about the Consortium click here.