Nuclear weapons for the European Union

As the European Parliament elections approach, some politicians and experts have launched a debate on “nuclear weapons for the EU”. Regardless of the context, IALANA emphasizes that such projects are not only morally questionable, but also contravene applicable law.

Nuclear weapons constitute – as UN General Assembly resolutions have repeatedly emphasized – a threat to all humanity and to the peaceful coexistence of States. Their use is associated with immeasurable suffering, is contrary to the Charter of the United Nations and constitutes a crime against humanity. In its 1996 judgment, the International Court of Justice ruled that the threat and use of nuclear weapons generally violated international humanitarian law. Even in extreme circumstances of self-defense, states can only defend themselves with weapons that meet the conditions of international humanitarian law, according to the ICJ advisory opinion. Nuclear weapons don't fill them. In its General Comment No. 36, the International Human Rights Committee emphasizes the prohibition of nuclear weapons, which also stems from the right to life.

A further ban on the acquisition and possession of nuclear weapons under international law results from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), to which all EU member states are parties. The NPT also prohibits France, a nuclear weapons state, from directly or indirectly transferring nuclear weapons or control of these weapons to any recipient. It also obliges States parties to pursue negotiations on complete nuclear disarmament in good faith.

In 2003, the EU, as a confederation of states, also fully committed itself to the non-proliferation regime enshrined in the NPT as part of its Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) (Common Position 2003/805/CFSP of the Council of the European Union). Union). This policy of non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction corresponds to the imperative of peace contained in the EU Treaty and the Charter of the United Nations. For Germany, the imperative of peace is also enshrined in the Basic Law and, in this context, Germany reaffirmed its renunciation of “the production, possession and control of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons” in the Final Settlement Treaty with Respect to Germany (Two Plus Four Treaty).

Two other EU member states – Austria and Ireland – have gone further and ratified the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

We call on all candidates and parties present in these elections to the European Parliament to distance themselves from the idea that the EU has its own nuclear weapons and to campaign to end nuclear sharing practiced by Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, for all EU member states. States must adhere to the TPNW and for a world without nuclear weapons. Only through the joint efforts of the international community can we achieve a future without the constant threat of nuclear weapons.

Statement from IALANA Germany

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