European Union. EU key messages. BTWC Meeting of Experts on Strengthening National Implementation. Geneva, 13 August 2018

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1 European Union EU key messages BTWC Meeting of Experts on Strengthening National Implementation Geneva, 13 August 2018 Mr Chair, I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Candidate Countries the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia *, Montenegro *, Serbia * and Albania *, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova and Georgia align themselves with this statement. We are pleased to see you chairing this important Meeting of Experts on Strengthening National Implementation and would like to assure you of the EU s and its Member States' full support in your endeavours. The Meeting of Experts provides an excellent opportunity to discuss ways to strengthen and support national implementation of the BTWC. The EU would like to encourage all States Parties to adopt and sustain robust national implementation measures, including administrative, judicial and criminal legislation; to exercise effective export controls in a manner consistent with national law and practices; as well as ensure control over pathogenic microorganisms and toxins in the framework of the BTWC. We continue to pay attention to compliance with obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004) and subsequent resolutions, where relevant to the reduction and * The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process. 1

2 elimination of the risk of biological or toxin weapons being acquired or used for terrorist purposes, including the risk of non-state actor access to materials, equipment, and knowledge that could be used in the development and production of biological and toxin weapons. In this context, the EU Member States have upheld their longstanding commitment to UNSCR 1540 not only through national implementation, but through providing assistance to third countries. In 2017, a fourth consecutive EU assistance programme was adopted, amounting to over 2.6 million Euros (EU Council Decision 2017/809/CFSP). Its implementation has been entrusted to the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) in New York, in close cooperation with relevant regional organisations, in particular the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The EU continues to provide support to BTWC States Parties at their request, in particular by funding national implementation activities carried out by the BTWC Implementation Support Unit (ISU), worth of more than 2.3 million Euros (EU Council Decision 2016/51/CFSP). Extended assistance programmes were launched in 2017 in ten selected States Parties: Colombia, Cameroon, Côte d'ivoire, Iraq, Lebanon, Malawi, Malaysia, Nepal, Sierra Leone and Yemen. Structured Action Plans have been developed, tailored for each beneficiary country on the basis of their needs and priorities, to facilitate capacity building assistance, notably drafting of legislation, biosafety/biosecurity training, dual use export control, preparation and submission of Confidence Building Measures, awareness-raising for scientists, and emergency response planning. The main challenges faced in the preparation, implementation and follow-up of in-country assistance relate to the need to have a proper BTWC architecture at the national level and effective coordination among national stakeholders. A workshop organised for international assistance providers in 2017 in Geneva resulted in a number of good practices and lessons learned, which are available on the BTWC ISU website. These include: Good practices for successful assistance Ensuring ownership and long-term commitment of the State Party to the assistance programme. Identifying a national focal point will contribute to the effective implementation of assistance activities and building institutional memory; 2

3 Establishing a solid legal and regulatory framework to sustain the implementation of BTWC related obligations at the national level. In this context, responsibilities between the competent national entities need to be clearly defined to avoid unnecessary tensions and delays; Adopting a methodological approach to assistance provision, including by identifying the best way to provide assistance to a country in the most efficient, sustainable and cost-effective manner; Following up on the assistance delivered. National Action Plans, such as those developed by Cameroon, Côte d Ivoire, Malawi and Sierra Leone are key to ensuring sustainability and impact of the results achieved; Identifying priorities and narrowing down topics when designing assistance programmes, as it is not possible to provide in-depth assistance in all areas; Approaches such as the Results Based Management framework, particularly its evaluation tools, can provide an effective basis for developing, monitoring and evaluating the progress of an assistance programme. Coordination and cooperation in providing assistance Coordination and cooperation are crucial, both within the beneficiary State Party and among the assistance providers; Pre-existing tools should be fully utilised and taken advantage of; identifying stakeholders and mapping the existing frameworks and mechanisms is a prerequisite for successful coordination and for creating synergies during the implementation of the programme; Exploring a cooperative approach with each beneficiary State Party rather than imposing external coordination models. The EU continues to support the effective implementation of the BTWC also through other assistance programmes such as the Centres of Excellence on the mitigation of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) risks. We invite interested Delegations to attend 3

4 the EU side event on Legislative Assistance in BTWC Implementation today (Monday, 13 August 2018) at 13:15. Transparency and confidence-building measures We invite all States Parties to support the ongoing efforts to enhancing transparency and building confidence in compliance, including through necessary revisions to the current Confidence-Building Measures. States Parties should be able to demonstrate compliance, inter alia, by means of interactive information exchanges, such as mandatory or voluntary declarations, as well as enhanced transparency about their capabilities, activities and actions, including voluntary and other on-site measures. Voluntary initiatives and exercises The EU and its Member States continue to promote voluntary peer review and transparency exercises involving States Parties in the context of the BTWC. The objective of these initiatives is to enhance transparency, to improve exchanges of information and good practices on national implementation regarding, for instance, capabilities, activities and actions for implementation, and to provide reassurance on compliance. We would like to congratulate Morocco for successfully conducting a peer review exercise that was organised with EU support in Rabat and in Casablanca in May Sixteen international experts from ten States Parties participated in this exercise which contributed to strengthening national implementation, improving confidence in compliance by increased transparency, and deepening international cooperation. We also welcome the upcoming peer review exercise in Tbilisi, Georgia in November 2018, supported by Germany. Such initiatives build upon earlier exercises carried out by EU Member States, notably by France in 2013, BENELUX countries in 2015, Germany in 2016 and Spain in 2015 and The EU and its Member States remain ready to continue cooperation with States Parties in this regard. CBM declarations We believe there are several ways to increase the relevance and comprehensiveness of CBMforms: 4

5 Examining annual CBM-forms as the regular national declaration tool on implementation and compliance and developing them further with this objective in mind; Reducing to the largest extent possible remaining complexities of CBM-forms and removing potential ambiguities; Ensuring a role for the ISU to support States Parties national points of contact in compiling their CBMs, inter alia, through organising regional seminars and providing training for electronic submission of CBM-forms; Working to increase the participation in, and the quality and comprehensiveness of CBMs returns, by expanding the functionality of the electronic CBM facility and making it, as well as the CBM guide, available in all UN official languages on the BTWC website. We call on all States Parties to increase their participation in, and the quality and comprehensiveness of annual CBMs and make use of the CBM guide and the upcoming electronic CBM facility, which have received EU funding. Thank you, Mr Chair 5