Council Decision (CFSP) 2016/51Show full title

Article 1

1. For the purpose of giving immediate and practical application to some elements of the EU Strategy against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, and building on the successful implementation of Joint Actions 2006/184/CFSP, 2008/858/CFSP and Council Decision 2012/421/CFSP, this Decision serves as an operational policy tool for carrying forward the objectives of Decision 2011/429/CFSP and focuses in particular on those aspects on which consensus was reached at the Seventh Review Conference, as reflected in its Final Document.

This Decision is guided by the following principles:

(a) making best use of the experience gained through Joint Actions 2006/184/CFSP, 2008/858/CFSP and Decision 2012/421/CFSP;

(b) reflecting on specific needs expressed by the States Parties as well as States not party to the BTWC with respect to the better implementation and universalisation of the BTWC;

(c) encouraging national and regional ownership of the projects in order to ensure their long-term sustainability and to build a partnership between the European Union and third parties in the framework of the BTWC;

(d) focusing on those activities that bring concrete results and/or contribute to an early framing of common understandings relevant to the 2016 BTWC review conference;

(e) including measurable indicators of results, to be defined before starting the activities, and including those related to the impact of awareness and education programmes whenever possible;

(f) supporting the Chair of the States Parties' meetings towards the Eighth Review Conference and making best use of the mandate of the ISU as agreed at the Sixth Review Conference and renewed and expanded at the Seventh Review Conference.

2. The European Union shall support the following projects corresponding to measures of the EU Strategy:

• promoting universal adherence to the BTWC by encouraging States not party to better understand the benefits of joining the BTWC and getting more involved in BTWC meetings and other activities,

• enhancing interaction with non-governmental stakeholders on science and technology and biosafety and biosecurity,

• developing national capacities for BTWC implementation — in particular in developing countries, and on areas such as Articles VII and X — by improving the quality and quantity of declarations submitted under the Confidence-Building Measures system in order to enhance confidence in compliance with the BTWC,

• supporting the intersessional programme and the preparations for the Eighth Review Conference,

• strengthening the United Nations Secretary-General's Mechanism for Investigation of Alleged Use of Chemical, Biological and Toxin Weapons (SGM),

• enabling tools for awareness-raising, education and engagement.

A detailed description of these projects is set out in the Annex.