OSCE: EU Statement on the entry into force of the Convention of Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) Protocol on Explosive Remnants of War

Finnish Presidency of the Council of the European Union
Joint PC-FSC Meeting
15 November 2006

I would like to draw the attention of the participating States to the Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union, which welcomes the entry into force on 12 November 2006 of the Protocol on Explosive Remnants of War, annexed to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (SEC.DEL 269/06).

In conflict areas, people continue to be killed or injured by unexploded and abandoned explosive ordnance even after the end of hostilities. The Protocol on Explosive Remnants of War addresses the post-conflict humanitarian threat generated by conventional munitions, including cluster munitions, that do not explode as intended or that are abandoned. The Protocol's requirements include the marking, clearance, removal, and destruction of such remnants of war by the party in control of the territory in which the munitions are located.

The Protocol is a multilaterally negotiated instrument of international humanitarian law and relevant for arms control. The European Union calls upon all States to become parties to the Convention and its Protocols, which strengthen international humanitarian law and help to protect civilians against the effects of hostilities.