BAFA organises cross-regional workshop in Tunisia for group of MENA states on arms transfer control, countering illicit weapons trafficking and strengthening international cooperation in the field
On 6 and 7 November 2018, BAFA, in the framework of the EU COARM Outreach Project, organised a regional workshop in Tunis for 31 participants from Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia. The workshop focused on global developments and national challenges in arms transfer control, on countering illicit trafficking of weapons through international cooperation, on inter-agency cooperation for improving arms transfer controls and on commodity identification as a particular challenge. These topics had been proposed by representatives of the partner countries during the final assessment event of the previous outreach project.
The participants were welcomed by the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the EU Delegation to Tunisia. The first session dealt with global developments and national challenges in arms transfer control. First, a presentation on foundations and updates in international arms transfer controls, including current challenges and recent novelties in the regimes and on EU level, was provided. In the second part of this session, the partner countries were asked to present the state of the art of export control in their respective country.
Following up on this, the second session addressed ways to counter illicit trafficking of weapons through international cooperation. Then, the participants were introduced to the EMPACT-Firearms platform, which has the aim to fight against illicit firearms trade, embodying in this way one of the EU EMPACT priorities to combat criminal threats. Furthermore, the role of customs/WCO in the fight against illegal arms trafficking in the framework of the new security role of customs following the Punta Cana Resolution (2015) was underlined, including the WCO-lead Strategic Trade Programme and the Small Arms and Light Weapons Programme.
The second day started with a session on improving the control of international arms transfers through inter-agency cooperation, which appears to be one of the central challenges for the partner countries from North Africa and the Southern Neighbourhood. This was discussed from both the policy/licensing and the customs perspective. The last session dealt with commodity identification as a particular challenge of arms transfer control by means of the EU Common Military List. The Regional Workshop was concluded with a final discussion, during which, among other topics, the eight criteria of the Common Position were discussed and questioned as the basis for licensing decisions.
Experts from Croatia, Finland, Sweden, the World Customs Organization and Spain supported the event. Furthermore, a representative from the European Commission (Directorate General for Migration and Home Affairs) attended the event.
This activity is part of the fourth phase of a project implemented by BAFA since 2010, on the promotion of effective arms export controls, and is based on EU Council Decision 2018/101. The project aims at promoting improved controls on arms transfers in third countries, in accordance with the principles set out in Common Position 2008/944/CFSP and in the ATT, and to support third countries’ efforts, at national and regional levels, to render trade in conventional weapons more responsible and transparent, and to mitigate the risk of arms diversion to unauthorized users. As part of this project, BAFA is tasked with assisting third countries in drafting, updating and implementing legislative and administrative measures to establish an effective system of conventional arms export controls, and with training licensing and enforcement officers responsible for the implementation and enforcement of arms transfer controls. Activities also include conducting outreach to third countries’ national arms industries to ensure compliance with arms control regulations and promoting transparency and responsibility in the arms trade. Accession to and ratification of the ATT is encouraged as part of the project. Furthermore, the project draws attention to the risks of arms diversion as well as to mitigation measures to prevent such diversion, both on the part of exporting and importing states.
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