Council Common Position 2006/242/CFSP of 20 March 2006 relating to the 2006 Review Conference of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC)

The objective of the European Union shall be to strengthen further the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons Convention and on Their Destruction (BTWC). The European Union continues to work towards identifying effective mechanisms to strengthen and verify compliance with the BTWC. The European Union shall therefore promote a successful outcome of the Sixth Review Conference in 2006.

For the purposes of the objective laid down in Article 1, the European Union shall: (a) contribute to a full review of the operation of the BTWC at the Sixth Review Conference, including the implementation of undertakings of the States Parties under the BTWC; (b) support a further intersessional work programme during the period between the Sixth and Seventh Review Conferences and identify specific areas and procedures for further progress under this work programme; (c) support a Seventh Review Conference of the BTWC, to be held no later than 2011; (d) help build a consensus for a successful outcome of the Sixth Review Conference, on the basis of the framework established by previous such Conferences, and shall promote, inter alia, the following essential issues: (i) universal accession of all States to the BTWC, including calling on all States not party thereto to accede to the BTWC without further delay and to commit legally to the disarmament and non-proliferation of biological and toxin weapons; and, pending the accession of such States to the BTWC, encouraging such States to participate as observers in the meetings of the States Parties to the BTWC and to implement its provisions on a voluntary basis. Working towards the ban on biological and toxin weapons being declared universally binding rules of international law, including through universalisation of the BTWC; (ii) full compliance with the obligations under the BTWC and effective implementation by all States Parties; (iii) in relation to full compliance with all the provisions of the BTWC by all States Parties, strengthening, where necessary, national implementation measures, including penal legislation, and control over pathogenic micro-organisms and toxins in the framework of the BTWC. Working towards identifying effective mechanisms to strengthen and verify compliance within the BTWC; (iv) efforts to enhance transparency through the increased exchange of information among States Parties, including through the annual information exchange among the States Parties to the Convention (Confidence Building Measures (CBM)), identifying measures to assess and enhance the country coverage and the usefulness of the CBM mechanism, and exploring the relevance of any possible enhancement of its scope; (v) compliance with obligations under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004), in particular to eliminate the risk of biological or toxin weapons being acquired or used for terrorist purposes, including possible terrorist access to materials, equipment, and knowledge that could be used in the development and production of biological and toxin weapons; (vi) the G8 Global Partnership programmes targeted at support for disarmament, control and security of sensitive materials, facilities, and expertise; (vii) consideration of, and decisions on further action on, the work undertaken to date under the intersessional programme during the period 2003 to 2005 and the efforts to discuss, and promote common understanding and effective action on: the adoption of necessary national measures to implement the prohibitions set forth in the BTWC, including the enactment of penal legislation; national mechanisms to establish and maintain the security and overseeing of pathogenic micro-organisms and toxins; enhancing international capabilities for responding to, investigating, and mitigating the effects of, cases of alleged use of biological or toxin weapons or suspicious outbreaks of disease; strengthening and broadening national and international institutional efforts and existing mechanisms for the surveillance, detection, diagnosis and combating of infectious diseases affecting humans, animals, and plants; the content, promulgation, and adoption of codes of conduct for scientists; noting that continued efforts on the abovementioned subjects will be required by all States Parties to enhance implementation of the BTWC.

Action taken by the European Union for the purposes of Article 2 shall comprise: (a) agreement by Member States on specific, practical and feasible proposals for the effective enhancement of the implementation of the BTWC for submission on behalf of the European Union for consideration by States Parties to the Convention at the Sixth Review Conference; (b) where appropriate, approaches by the Presidency, pursuant to Article 18 of the Treaty on European Union (i) with a view to promoting universal accession to the BTWC; (ii) to promote national implementation of the BTWC by States Parties; (iii) to urge States Parties to support and participate in an effective and complete review of the BTWC and thereby reiterate their commitment to this fundamental international norm against biological weapons; (iv) to promote the abovementioned proposals submitted by the European Union for States Parties' consideration which are aimed at further strengthening the BTWC; (c) statements by the European Union delivered by the Presidency in the run up to, and during, the Review Conference.

This Common Position shall take effect on the day of its adoption.

This Common Position shall be published in the Official Journal of the European Union.