Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons - Group of Governmental Experts - Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems

Mr. Chairman,                                                                                                            

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries Turkey, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia[1], Montenegro*, Serbia* and Albania*, the country of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidate Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Georgia align themselves with this statement.

As this is the first time I take the floor, I would like to thank you for convening the second part of the 2018 GGE LAWS meeting and for the useful Chair’s summary you have provided on the first session in April. We commend you for the skilful manner in which you are leading our discussions.

The EU reiterates its support for the continuation of work of the GGE LAWS within the framework of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW). The CCW remains the relevant international forum in this regard, combining diplomatic, legal and military expertise and involving industry and civil society.

As the UN Secretary-General stated in his recently published Disarmament Agenda, “we must work together to make sure that developments in science and technology are used for the good of human kind”.

- Review of potential military applications of related technologies in the context of the Group’s work

I would like to thank all panellists for their interesting presentations.

The EU considers it worthwhile to review more regularly and systematically the fast-paced developments in the area of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), providing an opportunity to technical experts to share information on autonomous technologies relevant for our work.

Given the dual-use nature of emerging technologies, our work should not hamper progress in civilian research and development, or innovation in high-technology industries like robotics.

We must ensure that emerging technologies including AI that are used in weapons systems are developed and applied according to the principles of responsible innovation and ethical principles, such as accountability, and that they comply with international law, including International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Law. We must ensure that humans remain in control of the development, deployment and use with regard to possible military applications of emerging technologies, including AI, and prevent the creation and use of harmful applications. In this context, further awareness-raising and training activities should be considered to encourage all stakeholders – scientists, industry, military and political-decision makers – to stay within the normative framework which the international community has so far established.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman

[1] The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.