Strengthening arms export controls in the UK and mainland Europe

Despite international standards set by the Arms Trade Treaty, the arms export policies and practices of individual states and regional bodies vary significantly. Even where countries appear to have strong arms export controls on paper, we continue to see weapons supplied irresponsibly to conflict zones or other contexts at risk of armed violence. We engage at the national and regional level – most extensively in the UK and European Union (EU) – to advocate for responsible arms transfer controls and effective oversight mechanisms.

Our work

In the UK we work with government officials, parliamentarians, academics, civil society and the media to influence policies and decisions related to the UK’s international arms transfers. We advocate for strengthened parliamentary accountability of arms export policy and decisions through policy briefings and regular engagement with officials.

We coordinate the UK Working Group on Arms, a network of policy experts from around ten civil society organisations with decades of experience campaigning for effective UK arms export controls. Saferworld is also a member of the UK Campaign to Stop Killer Robots coalition, which advocates for the UK’s adoption of robust regulation of autonomous weapon systems.

At the European Union level, Saferworld was instrumental in pushing for the early establishment of an EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports in 1998 and its subsequent development into the legally binding EU Common Position on Arms Exports in 2008. We continue to work with the European External Action Service (EEAS), the governments of EU member states, and civil society to encourage the implementation of effective responsible EU arms transfer controls through research, dialogue and engagement with officials.

Saferworld, in cooperation with the EEAS, convenes an annual conference that brings together representatives from civil society and EU member states – primarily members of the Conventional Arms Exports subgroup of the EU Working Party on Conventional Arms Exports (COARM) – to discuss salient issues related to the export of conventional arms. We also coordinate and regularly engage with a network of 200+ representatives of civil society working on arms transfer issues in Europe, known as the ‘Brussels Group’.