Arms Trade Treaty - EU Statement - Item 7: Treaty Universalization

European Union

Arms Trade Treaty

12^th Conference of States Parties, Geneva, 24-28 August 2026

Item 7: Treaty Universalization

Madam President,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Republic of Moldova, and Georgia, as well as the EFTA countries Iceland and Norway, members of the European Economic Area align themselves with this statement.

We wish to convey our gratitude to you, as well as to Ambassador Foradori of Argentina, for your leadership in co-chairing the Working Group on Treaty Universalization. Gratitude is likewise extended to the ATT Secretariat and the distinguished Presidencies for your collaborative efforts on universalization.

Allow me also to congratulate Ecuador upon its accession to the Treaty following CSP11. Although this milestone reflects encouraging momentum, substantial work is still required to revitalize universalization, which has experienced a deceleration in recent years. We urge signatory States to advance toward ratification and domestic implementation. Nations holding significant roles in the international arms trade-encompassing exporters, importers, and transit states alike-are encouraged to accede to the Treaty. Furthermore, States Parties that are arms exporters are encouraged to engage with their trading partners to advocate for ATT membership, thereby fostering shared standards of responsible behaviour to counter the illicit diversion and misuse of arms.

The EU Member States remain fully conscious of their obligations as participants in the global arms trade. Acknowledging this responsibility, alongside the critical nexus between multilateral conventional non-proliferation and global security, the EU has consistently championed the establishment, implementation, and universalization of the ATT.

The EU wholeheartedly endorses the observation outlined in the Chair's report that universalization ought to be viewed as a pathway toward high-quality, sustainable engagement, rather than mere formal membership lacking implementation capabilities. The Treaty should function not only as a collective of capable States fulfilling its goals, but equally as a community that assists its members in cultivating the requisite capacities. The EU has operationalized this philosophy through its ATT Outreach Project, active since 2013, which presently engages more than 20 partner states - comprising both States Parties and non-parties - with financial backing assured through 2028. Additionally, numerous other states participate in our initiatives to understand the obligations and advantages of Treaty adherence, and this has generated new requests for cooperation under this framework.

Similarly, the EU is continuing to implement another outreach initiative focused on advancing effective arms export controls - currently in its seventh phase - to cover Eastern and South-Eastern Europe, with the particular emphasis on the EU candidate countries, the Caucasus, Central Asia, North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the EU's southern neighbourhood. We remain convinced that robust national architectures for arms export controls will naturally draw non-party States closer to the aims and objectives of the ATT, thereby propelling its universalization.

We recognize the complexities confronting the initiative on regional universalization champions and advocate for the investigation of flexible mechanisms and incentives cited in the report. These would help cultivate ties between champions and interested non-parties, provided that the latter demonstrate a definitive and unequivocal dedication to joining the Treaty.

Finally, we endorse the recommendations put forward for the CSP12 outcome document. They appropriately underscore the central function of formulating a five-year strategy to direct the targeted endeavours of the broader ATT stakeholder community. From the perspective of the EU, it is paramount that this strategy establishes instruments to deploy all accessible financial resources and technical expertise purposefully, to pursue genuine and sustainable universalization -not merely to draw in new States Parties, but to commit them to robust Treaty implementation while rallying all relevant stakeholders to provide comprehensive and measurable support.

Thank you, Madam President.

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   North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.