Theme: conventional weapons

• 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

  
• 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

  
• 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

  
• Reviewing the EU Common Position on arms exports: whither EU arms transfer controls? Report

  Authors: Diederik Cops and Nils Duquet

  Publication date: 03/12/2019

  For almost 30 years the European Union (EU) has attempted to achieve greater convergence of its member states’ arms export policies. Since the adoption of the EU’s Common Position on arms exports in 2008, two review processes have taken place. ... read more

• Sustainable EU funding of European defence cooperation?Accountable and transparent coordination of arms export policies needed Report

  Authors: Diederik Cops and Aurélie Buytaert

  Publication date: 03/12/2019

  In 2017 the European Commission launched the European Defence Fund, which will become fully operational in 2021. With this fund, the Commission  will fund collaborative research and development projects on new military products and technologies. Although its primary aim is ... 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

• Firearms acquisition by terrorists in Europe. Research findings and policy recommendations of Project SAFTE Report

  Authors: Nils Duquet, Kevin Goris

  Publication date: 18/04/2018

  Project SAFTE showed that there is not one unified firearms market in Europe. Rather several disjointed and sometimes interrelated markets with different characteristics, configurations and supply-and-demand mechanisms exist alongside each other within Europe. This report offers a systematic and comparative ... 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