Brussels, 09/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - EU home affairs ministers adopted a regulation on Thursday 8 March to tackle the trafficking of firearms. The regulation establishes requirements for exports, imports and transit licensing, and makes it easier to track weapons, a Commission press release says. The new legislation will improve tracing and monitoring of imports and exports of civilian firearms from and to the EU territory (firearms intended for military purposes are governed by other rules). It will bring EU legislation in line with Article 10 of the UN Firearms Protocol, allowing its ratification by the European Union which has been pending since 2002.
The regulation is based on the principle that firearms and related items “should not be transferred between states without the knowledge and consent of all states involved”. It lays down procedural rules for export, import and transit of firearms, their parts and components and ammunition. Firearms exports will be subject to export authorisations, containing the necessary information to trace them, including the country of origin, the country of export, the final recipient and a description of the quantity of the firearms and related items, the press release continues.
Member states will be required to verify that importing third countries have issued import authorisations. “In the case of transit of weapons and related items through third countries, each transit country must give notice in writing that it has no objection. Member states must refuse to grant an export authorisation if the person applying has any previous record concerning illicit trafficking or other serious crime.” According to the Commission, the illegal firearms trade generates about €180 million per year across the world. (SP/transl.rt)