(Également disponible en français)

Although most European countries use end-user certificates in their export licences, few check whether the conditions agreed in these documents are met after the arms are delivered. On-site inspections can expose cases of diversion and act as a deterrent to potential offenders. To date, Germany is the only country in the European Union that systematically carries out this type of verification. However, Belgium, Bulgaria or Portugal, as well as the Czech Republic, have already introduced such controls in their national legislation. In addition, Sweden and Spain have recently started to shape their on-site inspection systems. Can this method of combating diversion become a general practice among EU member states?

Photo credit : UN Photo/Staton Winter

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