Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-11-16-Speech-2-033"
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"en.20041116.7.2-033"2
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"Mr President, British Conservatives believe that the Code of Conduct on Arms Exports has worked well as a politically binding instrument since it came into being in 1998, but there is scope for some improvement and refinement.
However, we are opposed to the Code becoming legally binding. We sense that there are often fine political decisions to be made and that these are best taken by politically accountable ministers rather than by judges. Some of the information on which decisions are based is highly sensitive and confidential and should remain within the domain of government. We certainly would not wish to see the European Court of Justice involved in this area. In any case, a legally binding ban would merely present another opportunity for certain states to exercise their hypocrisy, as we have seen, for example, with the efforts by some to evade the European Union's targeted sanctions against regimes in Zimbabwe and Burma or, indeed, the efforts by certain states to circumvent UN sanctions against the regime of Saddam Hussein in Iraq.
If we look at the Romeva i Rueda report, some of its provisions would simply be counterproductive if adopted. For example, it calls for the publication of information on the number of licences refused, stating the reasons for refusal. The published details on licence applications that have been denied would give unscrupulous arms manufacturers and dealers knowledge about which goods are wanted by whom – effectively a rogue traders' customer list.
We already have adequate laws in the United Kingdom, but want to encourage other states to meet our own high standards. You can be sure that any new EU law would be gold-plated and rigorously enforced in Britain but ignored in other countries. We spend a lot of time policing ourselves in Europe, but the main problems are countries which are not bound by any scruples or international rules."@en1
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