Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2014-02-04-Speech-2-835-000"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20140204.67.2-835-000"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, this is a historic agreement. The Arms Trade Treaty was negotiated at the UN level for the regulation of trade in conventional weapons. The aim of the agreement is to establish common standards for the regulation of the arms trade and to eradicate their illegal trade.
One person dies every minute as a result of armed violence, which is a moral outrage in today’s world. Until now, there has been no legally binding global treaty on conventional weapons, unlike weapons of mass destruction and landmines, which are already regulated. This Treaty covers the import, export, trans-shipment and brokering of arms transfers. All major types of arms are covered, including small arms and light weapons.
The Treaty is a major achievement after a decade of negotiations. In particular, the work of civil society organisations in supporting and pushing for this agreement has to be acknowledged. At the outset it is important to note that this UN agreement is a huge step forward for the regulation of the global arms trade and this House should welcome it.
The global arms trade is a EUR 22 billion industry. The sale of weapons in countries is not transparent at the moment and the effect these weapons can have on peace, stability and poverty can be devastating. With this agreement the signatory countries have acknowledged that this is an industry which urgently needs to be more transparent and more responsible. Countries will be required to evaluate arms transactions to ensure they meet the necessary criteria, including a block on any transactions in cases where there is a risk of genocide or war crimes.
The Treaty also requires transparency measures, including annual reporting of arms exports and informing other parties of national control systems. Citizens and civil society organisations will be able to evaluate the principles of the Treaty and hold their governments to account for the arms trade transactions taking place and the impact they are having on recipient countries. It is important to note that, even after countries evaluate an arms transaction in relation to genocide or war crimes, there are other criteria which must be taken into account. Countries must assess how the arms transactions could be used to undermine peace and stability or could contribute towards violations of human rights, cross-border crimes or terrorism.
There are some shortcomings in the agreement. Parliament asked for an impact on corruption and socio-economic development to be taken into account in relation to arms transfers. This was not included in the Treaty.
The Treaty gives signatory countries responsibility to interpret and implement the agreement. It is important that in the first stages of the implementation there is a strict understanding of the need for high standards, and I hope the EU can help to promote this.
Unfortunately, some significant countries have indicated that they may not take part in this agreement. Russia is responsible for 20% of the world’s arms trade but abstained on the Treaty. The United States is the biggest exporter of weapons but was divided on the Treaty and looks unlikely to ratify it in the near future. India is the largest importer of weapons and has also abstained. To be effective, the Treaty must have the world’s biggest players engaged. The European Union, speaking with one voice, can help to lead the way and encourage the implementation of, and widespread agreement on, this Treaty.
We must use EU support mechanisms to assist our own Member States to implement the Treaty in line with existing EU commitments. The European Union should evaluate different arms policies across arms exports, dual use and intra-EU arms transfers to ensure the European Union’s policies and institutional structures are coherent on this issue."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata | |
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples