Arms Trade Treaty: EU steps up support in fight against illicit arms trade

The EU will provide new funding for the effective implementation of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). The Council has adopted a decision allowing the EU to support three projects of the ATT Secretariat in Geneva with a contribution of €1.37 million.

The aim is to help states party to the treaty strengthen their national arms export control systems. Export control systems are key instruments for preventing the diversion and illicit trade in arms and contribute to more responsible trade in military equipment and technology.

More specifically, the EU’S support will support training local and regional ATT experts to deliver implementation assistance and reduce reliance on external consultants as well as building IT and communications mechanisms to enable more effective cooperation between states parties’ points of contact and the ATT Secretariat.

The project also strengthens the ATT Secretariatʼs institutional capacity to provide sustainable support to the state’s parties. It fits within the recently adopted strategy to strengthen the EUʼS contribution to rulesbased multilateralism, by promoting global peace and security.