Press releases

• AI-powered incident monitor becomes new weapon in fight against gun violence 07/12/2023

  Project INSIGHT has launched an artificial intelligence-powered monitor of firearm incidents on the new online knowledge portal Gunviolence.eu, marking the end of two years of research. The portal and new research products on topics related to firearm violence will be ... read more

• Study confirms: Antwerp and Rotterdam hotspots in vicious cycle of European drugs and firearms violence 08/11/2023

  A new study by the Flemish Peace Institute commissioned by EMCDDA (The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction) shows the central role of the Rotterdam and Antwerp ports in the problem of drug-related violence. The study links – ... read more

• First comprehensive study on gun violence in Europe identifies alarming trends 13/12/2021

  A previous decline in lethal gun violence in the EU has come to a halt since 2012, and some countries such as Sweden are even experiencing an increase. An arms race among drug criminals and the increased availability of illegal ... read more

• New EU study: More cooperation needed to combat increased terrorist access to firearms 21/04/2018

  Terrorists in Europe increasingly have access to firearms, including military-grade firearms. This is because access to firearms has become easier for criminals in several European countries and terrorists are using their criminal connections to obtain firearms on black markets. These ... read more

• Record-high of denied arms exports to Saudi Arabia and the UAE 21/02/2018

  In 2016, EU member states denied a historically high number of licences for arms  exports to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Flemish Peace Institute comes to this conclusion based on an analysis of the recently published official EU annual ... read more

• 19 public mass shootings with 319 fatalities in Europe between 2009-2015 23/06/2016

  On 27 June 2016 the Flemish Peace Institute published “Armed to kill”, a new research report on the weapons that were used in public mass shootings in Europe. The main conclusions are: –          In the period 2009-2015 there were 19 ... read more

• The Arab Spring did not lead to a more restrictive or harmonized EU arms export policy 24/03/2014

  The EU and its Member States have strongly condemned the violent repression of the mass protests during different uprisings in the Arab World. Protesting civilians were repressed with the help of arms made in Europe and this led to public ... read more

• European arms export to the Middle East reaches record high 21/01/2014

  The Flemish Peace Institute has analyzed the official figures on European arms export from the 15th annual Consolidated EU report on export of military technology and equipment that was published today (21 January 2014). Licensed arms export from EU Member ... read more

• The Flemish Peace Institute welcomes Arms Trade Treaty 02/04/2013

  On 2 April 2013, the UN Member States adopted the International Arms Trade Treaty with a large majority during the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York. This puts an end to years of negotiations: a historic moment ... read more

• Security technology is not without risks for human rights 22/02/2013

  On 22 February 2013 the Flemish Peace Institute published a report about security technology. The development and production of scanners, unmanned aircraft, cameras, coding, firewalls etc., are heavily promoted at the European level. These technologies are important for our security ... read more