The EU is proposing stronger controls on exports of certain goods and technologies that – in addition to legitimate civilian applications – may also be misused for human rights violations, terrorist acts or the development of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström explained: “We are living in turbulent times. Preserving peace and protecting human rights are core objectives of the EU and our trade policy is essential to that aim. That’s why we are proposing a set of modern rules to make sure that exports are not misused to threaten international security or undermine human rights.”
A main element of the Commission’s proposal is a new “human security” dimension in export controls, to prevent human rights violations associated with certain cyber-surveillance technologies.
With the emergence of, for example, specifically designed surveillance technology such as monitoring centres and data retention systems, it is considered essential to ensure that regulations allow EU authorities to stop exports in cases where they could be misused for human rights violations, for repression or in armed conflict.
The proposal also aims to simplify and harmonise the existing export control rules in order to save time and money for EU exporters and national authorities.
As well as being a significant actor in the fight against proliferation of WMD, the EU is a major producer and exporter of dual-use items with a control regime in place since the late 1990s.
A common EU list of controlled dual-use items is included in the annex to EC Regulation 428/2009. The new proposal can be foundhere.
