SEESAC's Contribution to Stronger Arms Exports Control Recognized by MoD

SEESAC’s work in support of transparent, efficient and responsible arms export control policies in the Western Balkans was recognized in an article published by the bi-weekly magazine ODBRANA, the official publication of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia. The article “Civilian Control Enhances Trust” is featured in the 153rd issue of ODBRANA and it reviews a considerable improvement of arms export controls in Serbia, particularly in terms of transparency and reporting of all export/import activities of military and dual use goods. The article credited SEESAC as playing an important role in making this success possible.

Since 2006, SEESAC has been providing both technical and financial means needed for the governments in the region to develop the capacity to gather information on arms exports and imports of controlled goods, as well as to make this information public in their respective Annual National Reports.  As a result, arms exports in Serbia today are in line with the requirements established by the EU Code of Conduct on Arms Exports, are open to the public, and are highly transparent. The last Serbian Annual Report on the Transfers of Controlled Goods in 2009 (in Serbian) was published in June 2011.

Over the course of the years, SEESAC has helped in this regard governments of Serbia, Albania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Montenegro. Today all of these countries have the required capacity to publish Annual National Reports.

In 2009 SEESAC achieved a major political breakthrough at a regional level by securing political support for the development of a Regional Report on Arms Exports, a joint report by several of the countries in the region, which follows closely the format of the EU Annual Exports Report.

Furthermore, SEESAC has initiated the Regional Information Exchange Process as a platform for persons responsible for the development and execution of arms control policies in their respective countries, to meet each other and regularly exchange relevant experiences within the project.

All of SEESAC’s arms export control activities are generously funded by the Kingdom of Norway.