The Flemish Peace Institute is an independent
institute for peace research at the Flemish Parliament.

Theme: conventional weapons

Project SAFTE: Take a look at the project here

Project DIVERT: Take a look at the project here

  • European Defence Cooperation: Relevance and challenges for national arms export control policies Factsheet

    Publication date: 24/10/2023

    Download the integral version of Diederik Cops‘ analysis here.  Defence and security are traditionally considered to be exclusive national competences. But more recently, the EU and its Member States have increased European defence cooperation. The initiatives set up to strengthen ... read more

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  • Technologies to counter the diversion of small arms and light weapons, and components of conventional weapons Report

    Authors: Sarah Grand-Clément, Diederik Cops

    Publication date: 24/08/2023

    There are many ways in which technology could help to counter the diversion of conventional weapons. Yet despite some discussions in international meetings on conventional arms control, we see limited evidence of technologies being used to strengthen or enhance efforts ... read more

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  • Due diligence and corporate liability of the defence industry: Arms exports, end use and corporate responsibility Report

    Authors: Machiko Kanetake, Cedric Ryngaert

    Publication date: 10/05/2023

    This report (download it in full here) adds new elements to the discussion of due diligence and liability with defence companies as a way of preventing and mitigating the adverse impacts of military exports. Due diligence is a frequently used ... read more

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  • Pulling the trigger: gun violence in Europe Report

    Authors: Nils Duquet (ed.), Szymon Buczyński, Piotr Chlebowicz, Sanja Ćopić, Quitterie de Labbey, Mirjana Dokmanović, Matteo Dressler (with the support of Clara Vandewege and Sofie Waebens), Declan Hillier, Paul James, Katharina Krüsselmann, Matt Lewis, Marieke Liem, Jarosław Moszczyński, Tomasz Safjański, Dennis Vanden Auweele.

    Publication date: 27/10/2022

    This report contains the 7 country studies  – Belgium, Estonia, the Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, Spain and Sweden –  that were undertaken as part of the second phase of project TARGET. While the reader will be able to observe interesting similarities ... read more

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  • Under the radar: Transit of military goods – from licensing to control Report

    Authors: Diederik Cops & Kathleen Vanheuverswyn

    Publication date: 25/04/2022

    Controlling the transit and transshipment of military goods is essential to secure the legal international arms trade, to prevent diversion and to avoid the undesirable proliferation of conventional weapons. However, the efficient and effective implementation of such controls is for ... read more

  • Policy brief ‘Strengthening information-exchange on arms exports’ Report

    Authors: Diederik Cops

    Publication date: 22/11/2018

    The Flemish Peace Institute launches a new publication format: its first policy brief. In these policy briefs, the Institute aims to combine an in depth and thorough analysis with a set of specific recommendations to address the findings and conclusions ... read more

  • Factsheet Flemish foreign arms trade 2017 Factsheet

    Publication date: 02/10/2018

    In 2017 the licensed value of Flemish arms exports amounted to €106,8 million. In total, the Flemish government issued 126 individual licences for exports or transfers of defence-related goods. These numbers are in line with previous years. Main facts: Licensed ... read more

  • Flemish foreign arms trade 2016 Report

    Authors: Diederik Cops

    Publication date: 16/10/2017

    Summary of the report on Flemish foreign arms trade 2016. This summary describes the main conclusions of recent analyses by the  Peace Institute of the arms export control practices of the Flemish government in 2016. read more

  • Towards Europeanised arms export controls? Comparing control systems in EU Member States Report

    Authors: Diederik Cops, Nils Duquet & Gregory Gourdin

    Publication date: 15/06/2017

    This research focuses on the regulation of international trade in military equipment, both within the EU and with non-EU countries. To what extent have European regulatory initiatives succeeded in harmonizing national systems for arms exports? read more