THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Article 28(1) and Article 31(1) thereof,Having regard to the proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,Whereas:
(1)The 2016 Global Strategy for the European Union’s Foreign and Security Policy emphasises that the Union will step up its contribution to collective security.
(2)The 2018 EU Strategy against illicit firearms, small arms and light weapons (SALW) and their ammunition, entitled ‘Securing Arms, Protecting Citizens’, noted that the Union will make use of relevant instruments to support research and development in the field of reliable and cost effective technology to secure SALW and their ammunition and mitigate the risk of diversion. Furthermore, the Council, in its conclusions accompanying its adoption of that Strategy, noted the evolved security context, including developments in SALW design and technology affecting the capacity of governments to address security threats.
(3)The United Nations Secretary-General noted in the 2023 report ‘Current developments in science and technology’ and their potential impact on international security and disarmament efforts’ the growing concerns that developments in science and technology of relevance to security and disarmament are outpacing the capacity of normative and governance frameworks to understand and manage the risks.
(4)The Union wishes to contribute to collective security and the potential to benefit from the opportunities new technologies present, as well as to address the challenges such technologies present, in particular for the multilateral disarmament and arms control system.
(5)The Union has already supported, through Council Decision (CFSP) 2022/2320note, a previous project of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), entitled ‘Unlocking Innovation: Enabling Technologies and International Security’ and implemented by UNIDIR in 2023 to 2024. The Union wishes to continue to explore this area in order to contribute to a more systematic identification and analysis of scientific and technological developments and their impact within specific disarmament contexts. The Union should therefore support the implementation of a further UNIDIR project entitled ‘Science and Technology Watchtower: Monitoring Innovation for Disarmament’,
HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:
Article 1#
1.With a view to the implementation of the Global Strategy for the European Union’s Foreign and Security Policy, and taking into account the Union’s Strategy against illicit firearms, small arms and light weapons and their ammunition, entitled ‘Securing Arms, Protecting Citizens’, as well as the EU Strategy against proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, the Union shall support the implementation of a project of the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) entitled ‘Science and Technology Watchtower: Monitoring Innovation for Disarmament’.
2.The project activities to be supported by the Union shall have the following specific objectives:
(a)to provide evidence-based research and analysis to support and inform policy-making and decision-making by proactively monitoring science and technology innovation;
(b)to facilitate knowledge-building and transfer of knowledge on scientific and technological aspects of international security and disarmament;
(c)to bridge relevant communities to enable the transfer of knowledge from a geographically and disciplinarily diverse range of experts and Member States engaged in multilateral disarmament negotiations.
3.The project activities shall include, in particular:
(a)enabling the set-up of a continuous technology horizon-scanning function to ensure that the most relevant science and technology advancements are detected, screened and analysed at early stages of development application;
(b)research into the most relevant trends in science and technology as they pertain to each disarmament area being studied, feeding into multilateral and international processes on emerging technologies and arms control;
(c)increasing dialogue, knowledge-building and transfer of knowledge, including the establishment of a global network of experts that is able to contribute to the sustained impact of the project beyond the funding period.
4.A detailed description of the project referred to in paragraph 1 is set out in the Annex.
Article 2#
1.The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (the ‘High Representative’) shall be responsible for the implementation of this Decision.
2.The technical implementation of the project referred to in Article 1 shall be carried out by UNIDIR.
3.UNIDIR shall perform its task under the responsibility of the High Representative. For that purpose, the High Representative shall enter into the necessary arrangements with UNIDIR.
Article 3#
1.The financial reference amount for the implementation of the project financed by the Union referred to in Article 1 shall be EUR 1671615.
2.The expenditure financed by the reference amount set out in paragraph 1 shall be managed in accordance with the procedures and rules applicable to the Union budget.
3.The Commission shall supervise the proper management of the expenditure financed by the amount set out in paragraph 1. For that purpose, it shall conclude a contribution agreement with UNIDIR. That contribution agreement shall stipulate that UNIDIR is to ensure the visibility of the Union’s contribution, appropriate to its size.
4.The Commission shall endeavour to conclude the contribution agreement referred to in paragraph 3 as soon as possible after the entry into force of this Decision. It shall inform the Council of any difficulties in that process and of the date of the conclusion of that agreement.
Article 4#
1.The High Representative shall report to the Council on the implementation of this Decision on the basis of regular quarterly reports by UNIDIR. Those reports shall form the basis for the evaluation carried out by the Council.
2.The Commission shall provide information on the financial aspects of the implementation of the project referred to in Article 1.
Article 5#
1.This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.
2.This Decision shall expire 36 months after the conclusion of the contribution agreement referred to in Article 3(3). However, it shall expire six months after the date of its entry into force if no such agreement has been concluded within that period.
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