Just launched - Transparency of Arms Exports in South East Europe: Regional Report on Arms Exports for 2019

The Regional Arms Exports Report, covering Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, is a result of more than a decade of regional cooperation and commitment to transparency by Western Balkans governments willing to commonly share their arms exports data. In the world today, the other similar joint publication is published by the European Union. The first regional report was published in December 2009.

The 2019 edition of the report marks some similar trends in arms exports from the region to previous years but also flags some new data. Compared to the 2018 report, the numbers of issued licenses decreased, as did the percentage of the realized exports based on the issued licenses. Expressed in percentages, that indicates that 55.24% of licenses issued were used. In 2019, 66.18% of the total arms exports by the region were related to the ML3 category – as per the EU Common Military List.  ML1, ML2, ML4 and ML8 follow the above-mentioned categories in 2019.

According to the 2019 report, the exports in the region declined by 32% in comparison to 2018. Serbia remains the leading arms and ammunition exporter in the region, accounting for 65.63% of the total region's exports, with Bosnia and Herzegovina following at 32.04 % of arms and ammunition exports. In comparison to the 2018 report, Serbia's share in total exports decreased, while Bosnia and Herzegovina's share increased. Albania and Monetnegro’s share in total exports from the region decreased, while North Macedonia’s share increased.

The Regional Arms Exports Report is a knowledge product developed by SEESAC in partnership with governments in South East Europe and financed by the European Union within the framework of EU Council Decision (CFSP) 2019/2111 in support of SEESAC disarmament and arms control activities in South-East Europe reducing the threat of illicit small arms and light weapons and their ammunition.

For more details, please read the Regional Report on Arms Exports for 2019 here.

Read previous reports here.