MEPs called on Wednesday 14 November for tighter arms export controls and sanctions for Member States that do not comply with the rules.
Parliament, in adopting Sabine Lösing's (GUE/NGL, Germany) report on ‘Arms exports: implementation of Common Position 2008/944/CFSP' (427 votes in favour, 150 against and 97 abstentions), calls for ‘uniform, consistent and coordinated application of the eight criteria [for an export authorisation, editor's note] and full implementation of the Common Position and all the commitments related thereto’.
MEPs believe that Member States should assess the risks in the light of the overall situation in the country of destination, including the state of democracy and the rule of law and socio-economic development, before granting authorisation.
For the European Parliament, the transfer of military personnel, security and police forces, services, know-how and training related to arms exports, security technologies and armed and private security services should fall within the scope of the position. The information exchange mechanism should also be strengthened.
MEPs want the United Kingdom, once out of the EU, to continue to respect the common position.
Faced with the ‘systematic non-application’ of the eight criteria, Parliament calls for action. It is “necessary to launch a process to develop a sanction mechanism against Member States that do not comply with the common position”, argue MEPs, who also want an independent mechanism to verify Member States' compliance with the criteria.
Parliament also attacks arms sales to Saudi Arabia, considering that sales to Saudi coalition countries in Yemen do not comply with the common position. He also said he was “"shocked by the quantity of weapons and ammunition manufactured in the EU and found in the hands of Daesh in Syria and Iraq”.
It should be noted that many French and Polish EPP MEPs and Spanish S&D members voted against the report or abstained. The majority of the CRE voted against.
The common position is available at: https://bit.ly/2zcxhQX. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)