First Regional Report on Arms Exports

The possibility of producing a regional annual report on arms exports for South East Europe was discussed at EU outreach events in Serbia (December 2007) and Slovenia (May 2008). Under the auspices of SEESAC an agreement was reached to produce a regional report at a conference in Montenegro (June 2009).

Several states in the region have already produced national reports that contain detailed information on their arms exports. These national reports should remain the primary source of information on each country's arms exports.

The production of a regional annual report on arms exports is intended to help to consolidate the gains in transparency that have already been made in the region, while also demonstrate an ability and willingness to uphold the commitments associated with the Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP defining common rules governing control of exports of military technology and equipment.

The report is a practical example of successful co-operation within the framework of the Regional Co-operation Council (RCC). Moreover the report is evidence of the existing administrative capacity in the region and the desire to further comply with EU policies in the field of export controls.

The present report contains detailed information on arms exports of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia during 2007. The methods of data collection and reporting format are based on those of the EU Annual Report on Arms Exports.

The report also presents data on transfers to United Nations-mandated or other international missions, contact information for the different ministries tasked with controlling transfers of conventional weapons, and details of regional activities in which at least two states in the region have participated.

The production of the regional report was made possible through the generous support of Norway.

The First Regional Report on Arms Exports can be downloaded here