BRUSSELS, Belgium — The EU Council has adopted a decision in support of the Oslo action plan for the implementation of the 1997 Convention on the prohibition of the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines and on their destruction.
In a press release Friday, February 19, the EU Council said it “will provide €2.6 million over four years with the objective of contributing to the full implementation of the Oslo action plan and the concrete actions set out therein. It will take various steps to promote the universalisation of the Convention and will offer support to countries by holding national and/or regional stakeholder dialogues.”
The EU has a long history of providing support for actions that address the threat of mines and explosive remnants of war. EU assistance in this area covers all key aspects, including mine clearance, education on the risks, assistance to victims, stockpile destruction, capacity building, research and development on mine detection, and clearance technology.
Background
Twenty years after its entry into force, the Ottawa Convention has become a success story for disarmament diplomacy, and an example of what the EU stands for: a rules-based international order, rooted in respect for human rights and international humanitarian law.
At the fourth review conference, held in Oslo in 2019, the states parties to the Convention adopted the Oslo action plan for 2020-2024, which supports implementation of the Convention, building on the achievements of the previous action plans. As part of its mandate, the implementation support unit (ISU) supports the states parties to the Convention in the implementation of their obligations and commitments.
The EU remains committed to supporting countries affected by mines in their efforts to clear mines and destroy stockpiles, to promoting education on the risks of mines, and to providing assistance to victims, their families and communities.
