EU Statement at the 60th session of the Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), 12-14 June 2023

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EU Statement at the 60th session of the Preparatory Commission of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO), 12-14 June 2023

14.06.2023 Press and information team of the Delegation to UN and OSCE in Vienna

Mr Chairman,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States. The following countries align themselves with this statement:North Macedonia^*, Montenegro^*, Serbia^*, Albania^*, Ukraine, Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina^*, Georgia, Iceland⁺, Norway⁺ and San Marino.

Mr Chairman,

The European Union warmly congratulates you on the assumption of your duties as Chair of the Preparatory Commission (PrepCom) and assures you of its full support and cooperation. We also congratulate all Vice-Chairs for 2023. We regret that, once again, no nomination has been submitted on behalf of the Middle East and South Asia Regional Group.

We thank the Executive Secretary for his comprehensive reports, and express our support for the recommendations contained in the reports of Working Groups A and B, as well as of the Advisory Group.

The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty's (CTBT) entry into force remains a top priority for the European Union. All EU Member States have ratified the Treaty and consistently call upon the remaining eight Annex II States who still need to sign and ratify, in order for the Treaty to enter into force, to do so without any preconditions or further delay. This includes China, Egypt, Iran, Israel, and the United States who still need to ratify the Treaty; and the DPRK, India and Pakistan who have yet to sign and ratify the Treaty. Pending the entry into force of the Treaty, the EU calls on all States to abide by the moratorium on nuclear weapon test explosions or any other nuclear explosions, and to refrain from any action contrary to the object and purpose of the Treaty.

We warmly welcome the ratification by Solomon Islands since our last session, which brings the total number of ratifying states to 177, taking us one step closer to the universalization of the Treaty. We commend the Executive Secretary and his team for this impressive record and fully support their efforts for achieving additional signatures and ratifications of the Treaty.We look forward to the next Article XIV Ministerial Conferencethat will take place in September, in New York, and warmly welcome the appointment of Norway and Panama as the next Presidents-designate for the Article XIV. The EU and its Member States are looking forward to engaging with the Presidents-designate with a view to agreeing on a Ministerial Statement to be adopted by the Conference.

The EU and its Member States will also actively participate in the First NPT 11^th Review Conference Preparatory Committee session that will take place in Vienna, from 31^st July to 11^th August.This will be another occasion to reaffirm States Signatories' support to the CTBT and its entry into force.

Mr Chairman,

The current security environment is marked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, increased tensions and continuing proliferation crises. Russia must immediately cease its aggression, unconditionally withdraw all forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine and fully respect Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence within its internationally recognised borders. The EU stresses that all States Signatories are obliged to refrain from any action that would defeat the object and purpose of the CTBT, pending the Treaty's entry into force.

The EU urges the DPRK to cease its unlawful and destabilising actions that undermine regional and international peace and security and instead engage in dialogue with relevant partners. The DPRK must comply with its obligations under relevant UN Security Council resolutions to refrain from testing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.Any nuclear test must be met with a swift, united, and robust international response.

The DPRK cannot and will never have the status of a nuclear weapon State in accordance with the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). We urge the DPRK to abandon its existing nuclear weapons programmes as well as programmes to build delivery systems and other weapons of mass destruction in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner as required by UN Security Council resolutions. We urge the DPRK to sign and ratify the CTBT without any preconditions or further delay. We also call on the DPRK to return to compliance with the NPT and its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA, and to sign and ratify an Additional Protocol thereto. It is critical that sanctions, which target the DPRK's unlawful weapons development, remain in place while its programmes exist. The EU calls on all UN Member States to ensure the full implementation of UN Security Council resolutions to prevent the DPRK from procuring materials, knowledge and finance that support its illegal weapons programmes. The EU stands ready to support any meaningful diplomatic process and is committed to working with all relevant partners to build a basis for sustainable peace and security and take steps aimed at pursuing complete, verifiable, irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Mr Chairman,

The EU would like to thank the Executive Secretary and the Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS) for the Initial Draft of the 2024-2025 Programme and Budget Proposals. We also thank the Chair of Working Group A for convening informal consultations before the 63^rd Session of Working Group A, as well as the Director of Administration for his comprehensive presentation. We note that the proposed overall weighted average price adjustment increase for 2024, stands at 4.33% and that the total unfunded portion of the budget for 2024-2025 amounts to $20.3 million. We encourage the PTS to provide a revised document, based on the comments made by delegations, and to convene further consultations with States Signatories, on a regular basis, to facilitate early consensus.

We encourage the PTS to continue its important operations, including the building, certifying, operating, repairing and upgrading of IMS stations. At the same time, ensuring the sustainability and effectiveness of the verification regime, through adequate funding, remains crucial. We thank the PTS for the information in document CTBT/PTS/INF.1651 on the long-term sustainment of the IMS, and we look forward to receiving further information on this important topic in due course. The EU notes that the total unfunded portion of the budget proposal for 2024-2025 for IMS sustainment amounts to $11.3 million, which highlights the need to ensure adequate funding. We look forward to discussing this matter further, and receiving further information on the proposed use of the significant, pandemic-related cash surplus, with a view to identifying a sustainable way forward.

Moreover, it is crucial for the wider organization's financial health, that all States demonstrate their political commitment and honour their legal obligations by paying their assessed contributions, on time and in full, as well as any arrears due to the organization.

Mr Chairman,

Furthering On-Site Inspection (OSI) capabilities is essential for the establishment of a balanced and robust verification regime at the time of the CTBT´s entry into force.In this regard, we welcome the organisation of regular OSI exercises, including the most recent 25^th OSI Regional Introductory Course conducted this April in Slovakia. The EU and its Member States have been one of the largest contributors to the OSI technologies capacity building consistently providing significant financial contributions to support the build-up of the OSI capabilities and the CTBT´s verification regime. The Integrated Field Exercise 2025 (IFE25) taking place more than 10 years after the one hosted in Jordan, will be a major milestone for the activities of the OSI division and the credibility of the future verification regime. We thank the two states who offered to host IFE25 for their interest and fully endorse the proposal of the Executive Secretary on the final selection of the host country.

Temporary mobile noble gas measurements are essential to enable analyses that lead to a further understanding of the global radionuclide background, and to facilitate the correct categorization of events. This on-going activity is part of, and helps carry out the mandate of the PTS.

Regarding the development of guidelines for holding non-scheduled sessions of the Commission, we reiterate our support for the 2019 GRULAC proposal, while thanking Ambassador Duarte of Brazil for his contribution. We look forward to advancing discussions with a view to finalising this issue.

We take note of the nominations put forward for membership of the AG, and give our support to the nominations of Mr Rousseau from France, Mr Konrad Max Scharinger from Germany, Mr Terrill W. Ray from the United States; and Ms Yuko Mizuno from Japan.

We note that the Commission is expected to take a decision on the appointment of the External Auditor for the financial periods of 2024 and 2025 in due course. We look forward to a transparent, open and democratic appointment process in the run-up to the Sixty-First Session of the Commission. This would allow States Signatories from all regions to consider putting forward suitable nominations and we encourage States Signatories to do so. The EU is thus not ready to take a decision on the appointment of the External Auditor for 2024-2025 during the present session.

Mr. Chairman,

The EU has so far contributed € 29.5 million in extra-budgetary contributions to the Organization through Joint Actions and Council Decisions. This reflects the very strong commitment of the EU and its Member States to the Treaty and its implementation. EU funds are currently being used to improve the auxiliary seismic station network, to strengthen on-site inspection and monitoring capabilities, and to provide technical assistance to countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean facilitating their full participation in the verification regime. We expect to adopt EU Council Decision number IX, providing for further voluntary contributions to the CTBT, before the end of the year.

The Science and Technology Conference 2023 (SnT2023) next week will be an important milestone in further building and strengthening the CTBTO's relationship with the scientific and research community.The EU will actively participate in the Conference, by organising a panel discussion, on 19 June, entitled "EU-CTBTO cooperation in action", with participation of the Executive Secretary, the EU Head of Delegation, Ambassador Klement, and scientists from various regions. On 23June, the EU will hand over the EU Star Award for the best scientific presentation at the Conference.

In conclusion Mr Chairman,

We assure you of the EU's full support and cooperation in bringing this meeting to a successful completion, and stress that the Report of this Session should be concise and factual, focusing on operative outcomes, such as the recommendations and decisions of the Commission and its subsidiary bodies as well as a complete list of all conference documents and reports.

Thank you.

*Candidate Countries North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process.

+Iceland and Norway are members of the EFTA and of the European Economic Area.