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BELGIUM AND THE ARMS TRADE

Belgium may be a small country but it occupies an important place in the global arms trade. According to SIPRI, from 1998 to 2007, Belgium was twentieth in the list of top arms exporters. A handful of Belgian companies, like FN Herstal in Wallonia and Barco in Flanders, are currently world leaders in the market for certain types of arms and related technologies.

In parallel, however, Belgium has on several occasions in the past been a decisive pioneer in improving arms control and monitoring mechanisms. Belgium was the first country to recognise the binding nature of the EU code of conduct on arms exports by incorporating it into domestic legislation in 2003. Belgium also played a leading role in the adoption of the 1995 Ottawa treaty banning landmines, and more recently in the adoption of the 2008 Oslo treaty banning cluster bombs.

GRIP continually monitors Belgium’s policy on the manufacture, trade and ownership of arms, with particular involvement and paying particular attention to changes in Belgian legislation in these fields.
UN Photo / Paulo Filgueiras
Belgium's Foreign Minister addresses Small Arms Review Conference
Belgium's Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht addresses the Small Arms Review Conference. The Conference discusses the elimination of illegal small arms in order to save more lives, and will run from 26 June until 7 July 2006 at UN Headquarters in New York.
Wikimedia Commons
Pistolet mitrailleur semi-automatique FN P90 produit par FN HERSTAL, aux mains d'un Garde national chypriote. Photo prise durant un défilé à Larnaca.

 

Weapons sales in 1993 - 2008

Reports from the Belgian federal government and the governments of the regions to their parliaments on application of the 5 August 1991 Law, amended by the 25 and 26 March 2003 Laws, on the import, export, transit and fight against the trafficking of weapons, munitions, material designed solely for military use or for maintaining order, and related technology.

Federal (SPF Economy) Region
of Wallonia
Region
of Flanders
Region
of Brussels-Capital
Until 2002, reports from the federal government covered total sales for Belgium. Since powers were devolved to the regions in 2003, SPF-Economy reports only cover sales for which the federal government retained responsibility (mainly related to the army). Annual reports also available on the Wallonia government’s website Month reports and all the reports listed below are available on the Flemish government’s website Reports are not available on the website of the government of Brussels-Capital
2nd half-year 2011
1st half-year 2011
1st half-year 2011 1st half-year 2011
2nd half-year 2010
1st half-year 2010
Annual 2010 Annual 2010
1st half-year 2010
2nd half-year 2010
1st half-year 2010
2nd half-year 2009
1st half-year 2009
Annual 2009 Annual 2009
1st half-year 2009
Annual 2009
2nd half-year 2009
1st half-year 2009
2nd half-year 2008
1st half-year 2008
Annual 2008 Annual 2008
1st half-year 2008
Annual 2008
2nd half-year 2008
1st half-year 2008
1st half-year 2008 1st half-year 2008 1st half-year 2008
Annual report 2007 Annual report 2007 Annual report 2007
2nd half-year 2007
1st half-year 2007
Annual report 2007
2nd half-year 2007
1st half-year 2007
2nd half-year 2006
1st half-year 2006
Annual report 2006 Annual report 2006
1st half-year 2006
Annual report 2006
Report from the 1st September 2003 to the 31 December 2005 Annual report 2005 Annual report 2005
1st half-year 2005
Annual report 2005
Annual report 2004 Report from the 1st September 2004 to the 31 December 2004
Report from the 30 August 2003 to 31 August 2004
Report from the 1st September 2003 to the 31 December 2004
Repport from the 1st September to the 31 December 2003 Report from the 30th August 2003 to the 29 February 2004
Annual report 2002
Annual report 2001
Annual report 2000
Annual report 1999
Annual report 1998
Annual report 1997
Annual report 1996
Annual report 1994
Annual report 1993
Annual report 1992
Industry: master piece in the struggle against illegal trafficking of dual use items (Mehdi Mekdour)

The illegal exports of dual use items pose a major risk to the struggle against the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction. Faced with this danger, public authorities have adopted new policies, progressively paying more attention to the role of exporting companies. In particular the latter are requested to become more aware of their duties in matter of illegal exports of dual use items. Their commitments take the shape of “internal compliance programmes” initiated by some companies. Belgian companies also need to comply with this new dynamic.

Other analyses:
The arms trade treaty. Challenges for 2012 (Virginie Moreau)

Illegal trafficking and irresponsible arms transfers are a threat to peace and security. Their consequences are often measured in terms of human losses and development in many parts of the world. Yet so far there is still no international instrument to regulate the international transfers of conventional weapons.

Through combined efforts of civil society and some governments, the need to address this lack of global common standards has gradually become selfevident for States. In December 2006 the United Nations (UN) passed a resolution to initiate a process in order to lead to the development of an international Arms Trade Treaty (ATT). Five years later, the process is close to be fulfilled. An international UN Conference will be held in July 2012 to negotiate and, in principle, adopt a Treaty.

This report provides an overview of this historical process and examines in particular the work of the Preparatory Committee of the international Conference, which met three times between July 2011 and July 2012. This report attempts to identify key issues for the final round of negotiations on an ATT in July 2012.

Other GRIP reports:

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