On Friday 29 April, on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the entry into force of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons (CWC), the EU High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, denounced the use of such weapons as an “affront to international law”.
“The use of chemical weapons by anyone, anywhere, at any time and under any circumstances constitutes a violation of international law and can amount to the most serious crimes of international concern – war crimes and crimes against humanity”, he stressed in a statement on behalf of the EU.
Impunity for the use of chemical weapons “must not and will not be tolerated”, he said. The High Representative thus recalled the EU’s support for collective efforts to ensure accountability for chemical attacks and its sanctions regime against chemical weapons.
While 99% of the world’s declared chemical weapons stockpiles have been verifiably destroyed since the CWC came into force, the re-emergence of chemical weapons use is “one of the most serious threats to international peace and security”, according to Borrell.
Furthermore, the High Representative believes that the transformation of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) laboratory into a chemistry and technology centre will be essential to strengthen the convention and improve the organisation’s ability to perform its core tasks of verification, inspection and capacity building. “The OPCW’s diligence, professionalism and impartiality while addressing the use of chemical weapons offer a vital first step towards accountability and an end to impunity”, he added.
See the statement: https://aeur.eu/f/1f7 (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)