EU Statement -- 11th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT): Closing remarks
Mr. President,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.
First, let me express the European Union’s sincere appreciation for the leadership, skill and effort that you have displayed at all times throughout the last four weeks. We also commend the work carried out by Bureau members, the NPT Secretariat, the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The European Union has actively and constructively contributed to this 11th NPT Review Conference across all three pillars of the Treaty. We have repeatedly reaffirmed our support for upholding and fully implementing the Treaty in all its aspects, as well as the commitments made in previous review conferences, and for promoting its universalisation. At the same time, we have highlighted the Treaty’s historic achievements and its crucial role in the maintenance of international peace and security, as well as the challenges it currently faces.
We deeply regret that, despite your commendable efforts and those of the Chairs of all the Main Committees and Subsidiary Bodies in the arduous negotiations held in the past few weeks, it has not been possible to achieve consensus on a final outcome document. Such an agreement would have significantly contributed to strengthening the NPT and international peace and security at a time of great need and geopolitical tensions.
Mr. President,
We acknowledge your honest attempt at mirroring the current state of affairs regarding the implementation of the Treaty and its related commitments, taking into account the wide variety of positions among States Parties.
While we were and remain constructive, let me also be clear that we do not see key concerns reflected in the latest draft outcome document. Russia’s actions in and against Ukraine that undermine all pillars of the Treaty, in particular use of nuclear threats, and Russia’sillegal seizure and militarisation of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) in the context of its war of aggression against Ukraine,the concerns regarding DPRK’s nuclear and missile program in violation of UNSC resolutions and this very Treaty, or the profound challenges posed by China’s rapid and opaque nuclear build-up. In our view, the language on safeguards and non-proliferation could have been strengthened. Furthermore, references to the essential role of export controls and multilateral export control regimes could have been strengthen too. Also, concrete forward-looking measures for nuclear disarmament, such as adopting and upholding a moratorium on the production of fissile material, should have been included, and language on the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty should have been more precise.
Despite of the absence of consensus on this document, we note that there was broad support on the elements put forward in the latest draft final document on strengthening the review process. The EU strongly supports establishing a process within the cycle for reviewing the implementation of NPT obligations and commitments by States Parties, especially by all nuclear-weapon States, across all three pillars, in particular with regard to article VI obligations. The almost unanimous support to the establishment of such a mechanism is evidence that transparency is and must remain a core principle in the implementation of the Treaty. In this regard we welcome the important proposal made by the US.
Mr. President,
You can rest assured of the European Union’s unequivocal and continuous support to the NPT as the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, the essential foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament according to its Article VI, and an important element in developing nuclear energy applications for peaceful purposes according to its Article IV.
In this new review cycle, we will continue to work with all States Parties in order to strengthen the Treaty and improve its implementation.
Thank you, Mr. President.