European Union Statement in Subsidiary Body 2

Prevention of nuclear war, including all related matters

General overview

Conference on Disarmament

Geneva, 11 February 2025

Mr. Coordinator,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union.

The candidate countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania and Republic of Moldova[1]  as well as the EFTA country Iceland, member of the European Economic Area, align themselves with this statement.

We would like to congratulate you on your assumption of your role as coordinator of this subsidiary body and we wish you success.

The EU remains deeply committed to preventing nuclear war and the goal of a world without nuclear weapons, achieved through concrete, pragmatic, and inclusive measures. The current complex security environment, which is marked by wars and conflicts, by increased tensions and continued proliferation of crises, underscores the urgent need to preserve and further strengthen general arms control, disarmament, and non-proliferation processes. This includes risk reduction, enhanced transparency, and strengthened arms control mechanisms.

In this context, we are concerned by a number of developments running counter to such efforts. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, its irresponsible nuclear rhetoric, and its blatant violations of the 1994 Budapest Memorandum gravely undermine international security and the global non-proliferation regime. The EU strongly condemns Russia’s threats to use nuclear force in its illegal, unjustified and unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. 

4bis Given the rapid and extensive build-up of China’s nuclear arsenal, we call on China to join future arms control agreements and to respond positively to calls for an arms control dialogue as a first step. The EU urges China to immediately take measures to improve transparency on its nuclear weapons and doctrine, to refrain from further build-up, which is not in line with its commitments under the NPT, and to pursue risk reduction measures.

The EU and its Member States reiterate their longstanding support for an immediate commencement and early conclusion of the negotiation in the Conference on Disarmament of a treaty banning the production of fissile material for nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices, and we support starting such negotiations in accordance with the document CD/1299 and the mandate contained therein. Pending the negotiation and entry into force of an FMCT, we call on all States concerned that have not yet done so to declare and uphold an immediate moratorium on the production of fissile material for use in nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices. Until now, all nuclear weapon states under the NPT have declared such a moratorium, except China. Therefore, we call on China to declare and uphold such a moratorium.

Starting such negotiations is not only an EU priority, but the overwhelming will of the international community, as manifested in the 1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference’s decision, the 2000 and 2010 NPT Review Conference Final Documents, and UN General Assembly resolutions. Despite broad recognition of its significance, negotiations have yet to begin. The EU regrets that the CD has been unable to fulfil its negotiating mandate on this issue, primarily due to a lack of consensus on procedural matters. However, this deadlock must not prevent substantive discussions on treaty elements, including scope, definitions, verification, and institutional arrangements. 

Mr. Coordinator, we expect that this Subsidiary Body will further advance this work, building on the work of the 2015 Group of Governmental Experts and 2018 the High Level Expert Preparatory Group. We will elaborate on this issue in more detail later on in the course of the discussion of this subsidiary body.

I thank you.

[1] North Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.