A Law on the Control of Arms Exports

Germany licenses and exports war weapons and other armaments to countries at war and in crisis, to states with human rights violations and to regions of tension, as a study on 30 years of German arms export policy shows. An Arms Export Control Act is intended to establish a restrictive arms export policy for Germany with clear criteria and rules. However, the BMWK's draft key points have both bright and dark sides. As welcome as it is that the criteria of the EU Common Position, which have so far only been politically binding, have been translated into law, there is, for example, no victim-independent right of action for associations, no regulations on the control of subsidiaries of German arms exporters and no German veto on European arms cooperation. For example, the supply of German armaments components for combat aircraft to Saudi Arabia, which are also being used in the war in Yemen, is problematic, even though there is a moratorium on arms exports. The GKKE specialist group on arms exports has been monitoring German arms export policy for many years and produces an annual report. On this basis, it has now issued a press release in response to the German government's key issues paper. For further information, please contact Dr. habil. Simone Wisotzki, Chair of the GKKE Specialist Group on Arms Exports.

The GKKE's press release (in German) can be downloaded here (PDF)