Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of 26 European Union Member States. The following countries align themselves with this statement: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino and Ukraine. 

Let me start by congratulating Uruguay on assuming the Chair of HCoC for 2025 to 2026 and expressing our appreciation to Ambassador Wetzig for his work, undertaken during Chile’s HCoC chairmanship. We also thank Austria for its efficient support to the Code as the Immediate Central Contact (ICC) in Vienna.

Chair, 

After over two decades of existence, the HCoC has become an important transparency and confidence-building measure and is all the more important to international security. It is the only multilateral instrument aiming at both preventing ballistic missile proliferation and increasing transparency about ballistic missiles and space launch vehicles of the Subscribing States.

The EU reaffirms its strong support for the Code and will continue to actively promote its universalisation, full implementation and efficient functioning. Since 2008, through five consecutive Decisions of the Council of the EU, we continue to provide political and financial support for the Code, including outreach events, regional seminars, expert missions, and research papers, in cooperation with the Fondation pour la Recherche Stratégique (FRS). 

It remains in all our interests to ensure the effective functioning of and necessary support for the HCoC – the foremost practical step to address the issue of the proliferation of ballistic missiles. 

Chair, 

We reiterate our resolute condemnation of Russia’s brutal and illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, with Belarus’ complicity, and support by other third countries, actors and entities therein - including arms transfers, and ballistic missiles - and deepening military cooperation with the DPRK and Iran. We reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and its inherent right of self-defence. We reaffirm our support for a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the principles of the UN Charter and international law.  

Chair,

We remain gravely concerned by the continued proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems, in particular the pursuit by several countries of concern of ballistic missile programmes in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. We call for the immediate dismantlement of such programmes, which are a source of mistrust and contribute to regional instability.

The DPRK continues to launch various new and existing ballistic and cruise missiles while referencing possible use of nuclear weapons, in blatant violation of its obligations under multiple UN Security Council resolutions. These actions threaten regional and international peace and security. The international community must respond with unity to put a stop to the DPRK’s unlawful development of ballistic missiles and missile launches. 

We strongly condemn the transfer of ballistic missiles and other arms from the DPRK to Russia for use in its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine – a flagrant violation of multiple UNSC resolutions, which Russia itself supported. Deepening DPRK-Russia military cooperation risks further emboldening the DPRK in its pursuit of dangerous and illegal ballistic missile and nuclear programmes. We urge the DPRK and Russia to abide by the relevant UNSCRs and to immediately cease all activities that violate them. 

We reiterate our position that the DPRK must abandon its weapons of mass destruction, ballistic missiles and nuclear programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner as required under multiple UN Security Council resolutions. We urge the DPRK to engage in meaningful dialogue with all relevant parties to start building a basis for sustainable peace and security and to take steps aimed at pursuing the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula. 

We condemn Iran’s continued destabilising activities in and around the Middle East. These include Iran’s activities with ballistic and cruise missiles, UAVs, and transfers of such advanced weaponry to state and non-state actors. We remain committed to a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear issue and calls on all countries to support the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015). We regret that Iran has not made the necessary decisions and not taken the necessary steps to return to its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA. 

We strongly condemn the continued Iranian military support, including deliveries of unmanned aerial vehicles and ballistic missiles to Russia’s illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine. We strongly caution Iran against any new deliveries of weapons to Russia.

Chair,

We continuously call on all UN Member States that have not yet done so to subscribe to the Code. We also encourage all UN Member States to support and vote in favour of the next biennial HCoC Resolution in support of the Hague Code of Conduct, during the 81th Session of the UN General Assembly in 2026. In this regard, we regret the change of Russia's position on the HCoC resolution at the last UN General Assembly. A negative vote on this is detrimental to international peace, confidence and security building. We encourage Russia to use available communication channels through the Intermediate Central Contact of HCoC to address any relevant issue. Subscribing States should continue to preserve the integrity of the Code and act according to its non-proliferation objectives.

Chair,

The Code was conceived as an instrument to be continuously developed in order to further its aims. That is why the Annual Regular Meeting was entrusted with a mandate to develop it through consensus decisions by the subscribing states present at Annual Regular Meetings. There are many areas in which development could be considered – from the ever growing relevance of the HCoC to space to the practical implementation of the Code. Such decisions must of course be well prepared to ensure consensus can be achieved and we therefore welcome continuous work of chairs to consider potential areas for further development. Intersessional informal meetings could also be used again to consider this and we stand ready to support the Chair, also in this regard. 

Let me conclude Chair, by assuring you of the European Union’s full support and cooperation for the issuance of a Communiqué by this Annual Regular Meeting, which should help to increase awareness and mobilise further international support for the HCoC.

Thank you.