EU Statement delivered by Senior Military Adviser, Brigadier Marjan Grabnar
1. The European Union welcomes the OSCE Workshop on the implications of Technical, Managerial and Financial issues on existing and planned OSCE projects on Small Arms and Light Weapons and Stockpiles of Conventional Ammunition. We would like to express our sincere thanks and appreciations to the FSC Chair and especially to the CPC for the preparations made. The annotated agenda contains several interesting and highly relevant topics and we are looking forward to fruitful and substantial discussions.
2. The EU would like to recall that support and assistance to participating States has been an integral part of the OSCE's activity in implementing the Document on Small Arms and Light Weapons as well as the Document on Stockpiles on Conventional Ammunition. By the end of 2007, EU Member states had donated more than 5.4 million EUR for the implementation of SALW and CA projects in the OSCE. Management, security and destruction of SALW and Conventional Ammunition stockpiles are areas where the EU places high emphasis. This emphasis is based, in particular, on the EU SALW Strategy, but also led by its commitment to the UN Programme of Action to prevent, combat and eradicate the illicit trade of SALW. We note with satisfaction the further progress in OSCE projects with the aim of containing and reducing the dangers emanating from surplus stockpiles of SALW, as well as surplus stockpiles of conventional ammunition.
3. The process with regard to the implementation of SALW and CA projects in the OSCE area has developed substantially since 2003, when the first request was received from an OSCE participating state. Today we can state with satisfaction that the OSCE has been able to launch, implement and also finalize a number of projects.
4. However, the EU believes that there is always room for improvements in order to be more efficient, more cost effective and more transparent. This is not only an internal OSCE matter: the coordination and cooperation with other international organizations, individual donors and recipient countries play an important role in this process.
5. Mr Chairman, as was stated by the EU on 16 January, the implementation of the FSC decisions, as endorsed by the 15th Ministerial Council, will constitute an important part of the work of the FSC in 2008. The EU attaches particularly importance to the ongoing work on small arms and light weapons and stockpiles of conventional ammunition. The EU is therefore looking forward with special interest to this workshop and hopes that it will contribute to further optimizing the OSCE's project work and allowing us to deliver more with comparable resources.
6. Mr Chairman, the EU looks forward to fruitful discussions and I can assure you that the EU member States will take active part in the discussions during this workshop.
Mr Chairman,
The following countries align themselves to the EU statement: Ukraine, Republic of Moldova, Norway, Armenia, Montenegro, Turkey, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Georgia.
Thank you.
