MEPs approved the interinstitutional agreement on the control of exports of dual-use items by 642 votes to 37 with 9 abstentions. This revision had been in the pipeline in the European Parliament since 2016 and an interinstitutional agreement was reached on 9 November (see EUROPE 12599/23).
“Dictators will now find it harder to access European technology to track and terrorise their citizens”, said rapporteur Markéta Gregorová (Greens/EFA, the Czech Republic) after the vote.
Dual-use goods refer to products that can have both civilian and military uses. This amendment to the regulation that has existed since 2009 will strengthen its scope and include products related to cyber surveillance. It also provides for the possibility of including new technologies that will appear on the market in the future.
EU Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič welcomed Parliament’s commitment to the report and recalled the benefits of the text. “This regulation is an important element of a stronger European approach to global trade issues”, he told MEPs.
The regulation will still have to be formally adopted by the EU Council. (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)