Arms: code of conduct on exports, point 8. 3rd annual report

The European Parliament adopted its own-initiative report drafted by Gary Titley (PES, United Kingdom) on the Third annual report on Arms Exports. (Please refer to the document dated 10/09/02.) Parliament recalled that the Code of Conduct states that Member States must not allow exports which would provoke or prolong armed conflicts. Member States need to review their defence industry relations, particularly in the Middle East. Parliament went on to point out that the different national systems of data collection and reporting are an obstacle to proper scrutiny. All Member States need to publish national annual reports based on agreed standards and best practice. Such reports should provide details on individual licences granted or denied including a description of the goods and details regarding the value, quantity and end-user of the equipment, as well as details of the supplier country and the recipient state. A comprehensive system of end-user controls should incorporate pre-export checks, an effective system of end-user certification and post-export monitoring and follow-up procedures. Finally, Parliament urged the incorporation into the Code of Conduct of a provision whereby a Member State which has refused authorisation but has subsequently changed its mind within a period of one year is obliged to notify the other Member States of that decision during a common consultation procedure.�