EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament

🎙️ New podcast episode: Better know a treaty: The Outer Space Treaty 🚀 🌍 From nuclear weapons in orbit to anti-satellite capabilities and the rapid expansion of commercial space activities, the Outer Space Treaty faces growing challenges nearly six decades after its adoption. 🎙️ In the latest episode of "The Arms Control Primer", produced by @IISS_org, @alexbollfrass is joined by Erin Pobjie and Mallory Stewart (@CSRisks) to explore the treaty's origins, its limitations and its relevance to today's space security challenges. 🛰️ How can international cooperation help prevent an arms race in outer space? 🎧 Listen: iiss.org/podcasts/arms-contr… #OuterSpaceTreaty #SpaceSecurity #ArmsControl #NonProliferation

🚀 DPRK ballistic missile launch: the EU calls for compliance with international obligations and renewed diplomacy. Following the ballistic missile launch conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on 3 October 2026, the EU issued a statement condemning another violation of UN Security Council resolutions. The EU expressed its solidarity with regional partners, particularly the Republic of Korea and Japan, and called on the DPRK to cease actions that risk increasing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. 🕊️ The statement also emphasises the importance of re-engaging in meaningful diplomatic dialogue as the path towards sustainable peace and security. 🔎 Read the full EU statement: eeas.europa.eu/eeas/dprk-sta… #DPRK #NonProliferation #BallisticMissiles #Diplomacy #EUNPDC

🌍 Convention on Cluster Munitions: progress in stockpile destruction and land clearance. At the Third Review Conference of States Parties to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM), held in Geneva, the EU reaffirmed its commitment to reducing the humanitarian consequences of cluster munitions and protecting civilians. In its statement of 15 September 2026, the EU welcomed significant progress achieved under the Convention: - All States Parties with stockpile destruction obligations have fulfilled their requirements under Article 3, preventing nearly 1.5 million cluster munitions from being used. - Record levels of land clearance have been achieved since the previous Review Conference. - Almost two-thirds of the 18 States Parties with land clearance obligations now fully comply with Article 4. The EU underlined the continued relevance of the Convention’s humanitarian objectives in the current international security environment. 🔎 Read the full EU statement: eeas.europa.eu/delegations/u… #ClusterMunitions #Disarmament #HumanitarianDisarmament #CivilianProtection #EUNPDC

🎙️ Transcript now available | Arms Control Primer: Better know a non-nuke – Brazil In this episode by @IISS_org, Dr @alexbollfrass speaks with Dr @leocbandarra and Professor Carlo Patti about Brazil’s nuclear history, from early ambitions and the military-era parallel programme to cooperation with Argentina, the creation of ABACC and Brazil’s eventual accession to the NPT. 🇧🇷 How did Brazil move from nuclear autonomy and secrecy to regional safeguards, democratic oversight and a leading role in global disarmament debates? The discussion explores what Brazil’s trajectory reveals about nuclear autonomy, safeguards, non-proliferation and the broader challenges facing the global nuclear order. 📄 Read the full transcript & listen to the episode: iiss.org/podcasts/arms-contr… #EUNPDC #ArmsControlPrimer #Brazil #NonProliferation #Disarmament #ArmsControl #NuclearSecurity

🇪🇺 What happens if NATO cannot reach consensus during a European security crisis? Russia’s war against Ukraine and the evolving US role in European defence have renewed discussions about Europe’s capacity to act independently when necessary. In a new paper published by The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (@hcssnl), Pieter-Jan Vandoren and Davis Ellison examine how European NATO Allies could respond if NATO consensus cannot be reached in the absence of US participation. The authors propose a NATO-compatible European Plan B: a mechanism enabling willing European Allies to authorise, command and sustain a defence operation when action through the North Atlantic Council is unavailable. The proposal would maintain NATO as the central framework for collective defence, while providing an alternative for exceptional circumstances. 📖Read How Europe can act when NATO cannot: From NATO 3.0 to a European Plan B: hcss.nl/report/how-europe-ca… #EuropeanSecurity #NATO #Defence #StrategicAutonomy #EUNPDC

🇺🇳 Iran sanctions: the EU raises concerns over the future of UN monitoring mechanisms. On 1 October 2026, the EU delivered a statement at the UN General Assembly during a debate concerning the veto on the mandate of the Panel of Experts established pursuant to Resolution 1929 to assist the 1737 Iran Sanctions Committee. The EU expressed deep regret over the veto cast by two permanent members of the UN Security Council, warning of its consequences for sanctions monitoring and the functioning of subsidiary bodies. The statement also highlighted broader concerns regarding the credibility of the Security Council and the principle of good faith. 🔎 Read the full EU statement: eeas.europa.eu/delegations/u… #Iran #UnitedNations #NonProliferation #Sanctions #EUNPDC

The Seventh Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) will take place from 16 to 20 November 2026 at the Palais des Nations in Geneva. Ahead of the conference, the EU reaffirmed the importance of the CCW and its Protocols as key instruments of international humanitarian law (IHL) during the Preparatory Committee held in September. The EU also reiterated its Member States’ commitment to respecting and fully complying with IHL, as well as promoting compliance with its principles. 🔎 Read the full EU statement: eeas.europa.eu/delegations/u… #CCW #InternationalHumanitarianLaw #ArmsControl #Disarmament #EUNPDC

☢️ Can Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones withstand growing nuclear tensions? 🎙️ In a new episode of the @IISS_org, Dr @alexbollfrass speaks with Prof. J. Luis Rodriguez (George Mason University), Dr @olamideDIY (Open Nuclear Network) and @ALBALAWI6 (UNIDIR). From the commitments of nuclear-armed states to the challenges of establishing a WMD-free zone in the Middle East, they explore the future of regional nuclear-weapon-free agreements. 🎧 Listen now:iiss.org/podcasts/arms-contr… #ArmsControl #NonProliferation #Disarmament

🚁 Drone proliferation: Is Europe’s security governance keeping pace with the evolving threat? Russia’s war against Ukraine has accelerated the development and proliferation of low-cost, dual-use drone technologies, creating new challenges for European security, arms control and non-proliferation. But strengthening counter-drone defences alone is not enough. 📄 In the latest EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Paper (No. 102), “Countering Drone Proliferation from Russia’s War Against Ukraine: Implications for Arms Control and Security Governance”, @DominiKunertova, (@BelferCenter, @prcprague, @AtlanticCouncil), examines the growing security implications of drone proliferation. 🔎 The paper identifies three key challenges requiring greater attention: - Arms trade regulations: Existing reporting and transparency mechanisms have struggled to keep pace with the emergence of new lethal drone technologies. - Airspace governance: Drone incursions, ambiguous attribution and inadequate coordination increase the risks of miscalculation and escalation. - Dual-use export controls: Opaque supply chains and sanctions evasion facilitate the illicit proliferation of drone technologies. 💡 The author outlines policy recommendations for the EU and European governments to strengthen arms transfer transparency, improve airspace governance and close gaps in dual-use export controls. 📖 Read the full paper: nonproliferation.eu/wp-conte… #EUNPDC #DroneProliferation #ArmsControl #NonProliferation #EuropeanSecurity #Ukraine #Disarmament

🎙️📄 Transcript available! | Better know a non-nuke: South Korea 🇰🇷 From hosting US nuclear weapons during the Cold War to pursuing and eventually abandoning its own nuclear ambitions, South Korea offers a fascinating case study in nuclear deterrence, alliance politics and non-proliferation. In this episode of The Arms Control Primer by @IISS_org, Dr @alexbollfrass, (IISS), is joined by: - Dr Lami Kim, Korea Chair for Advanced Technologies, National Security and Defence at IISS. - Dr @historian_jang, Senior Research Fellow at the Department of History, University of Vienna, and EU Marie Skłodowska-Curie Fellow. 🔎 Together, they explore South Korea’s nuclear history, the strategic dilemmas shaping its security choices and the ongoing debates surrounding nuclear hedging on the Korean Peninsula. 📖 The full transcript: iiss.org/podcasts/arms-contr… #NuclearNonProliferation #SouthKorea #NuclearDeterrence #ArmsControl #NuclearSecurity #EUNPDC

🔎 A new resource for those following nuclear disarmament verification. Hugh Chalmers (@vertic_org) presents a new web-based compendium bringing together information related to the proposed establishment of a Group of Scientific and Technical Experts on Nuclear Disarmament Verification (GSTE-NDV) within the United Nations disarmament machinery. The resource provides a dedicated reference point for information on the proposed group and the broader discussion surrounding scientific and technical expertise in nuclear disarmament verification. 🔗 vertic.org/programmes/vm/gro… #NuclearDisarmament #Verification #NuclearWeapons #UnitedNations #Disarmament #EUNPDC

🎥 How can future nuclear crises in South Asia be better understood and managed? @BASIC_int's Responsibilities and Global Governance Programme and the Center for Security, Strategy and Policy Research (CSSPR) recently presented a new report exploring future nuclear crisis scenarios in South Asia through a responsibility-based approach. Drawing on Track 2/1.5 dialogues and crisis simulations involving participants from the Indian and Pakistani nuclear policy communities, the report introduces the concept of an “escalation cascade”, in which deliberate and unintended pathways to escalation can reinforce one another under psychological and emotional pressure. It concludes with six responsibility-based recommendations aimed both at preventing escalation during a crisis and at reducing the likelihood of a crisis emerging in the first place. 🎥 Watch the report launch and discussion: basicint.org/video-basic-rep… #SouthAsia #India #Pakistan #NuclearWeapons #RiskReduction #NuclearSecurity #EUNPDC

☢️ Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones: can regional treaties hold up in an era of expanding nuclear deterrence? More than 100 countries have committed to keeping nuclear weapons off their territories. Yet nuclear-armed powers have not fully honoured these arrangements, and efforts to establish a WMD-free zone in the Middle East remain stalled. 🎙️ In the latest episode of 'The Arms Control Primer', produced by @IISS_org, Dr @alexbollfrass speaks with Prof. J. Luis Rodriguez (George Mason University), Dr @olamideDI (@OpenNuclear Network) and @ALBALAWI6 (@UNIDIR). They discuss the history, achievements and challenges of Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones, from Latin America to Central Asia, and their future amid growing nuclear tensions. 🎧 Listen now: iiss.org/podcasts/arms-contr… #ArmsControl #NonProliferation #Disarmament #NuclearWeapons

📢 Upcoming Event | Online Book Launch: CNTR Monitor 2026 “Verification in an Era of Rapid Technological Change” How can arms control verification keep pace with rapid technological advances? On 5 November 2026, @PRIF - Peace Research Institute Frankfurt, will host an online launch event to present the latest edition of the CNTR Monitor, published by the Cluster for Natural and Technical Science Arms Control Research (CNTR). 🔎 This year's edition explores the opportunities and challenges posed by emerging technologies for arms control verification, from artificial intelligence and quantum sensing to biological attribution and space surveillance. Bringing together the report's editors and authors, the event will examine how new technologies and approaches can help strengthen verification and compliance assessment in an increasingly complex security environment. 📅 5 November 2026 | 14:00-15:30 CET 💻 Online event 🔗 Register here: eveeno.com/275797258 📘 The CNTR Monitor 2026 will be published on 3 November. More information: cntrarmscontrol.org/publicat… #ArmsControl #Verification #Nonproliferation #Disarmament #EmergingTechnologies

🎙️ Season 6 of The Arms Control Primer is out! Last season, we explored how countries decided whether to build nuclear arsenals. Now we're turning to the agreements designed to rein them in. This season, we're diving deep into the major international arms control treaties: how they came to be, where they succeeded, and where they fell short. Along the way, we'll uncover lessons for today's efforts on arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament. 📅 The next episode drops on Thursday! 🎧 Listen to the previous episodes: go.iiss.org/4z2GVkI youtu.be/H4eERU-C_f0?si=_1HA…

‘[N]obody could negotiate this Charter today.’, says Dr Ben Kienzle. The alternative isn't a better UN Charter, it's no Charter. So how do we renovate the house we have? 🎧 Listen to the latest episode of @IISS_org's The Arms Control Primer: go.iiss.org/4dgjqfD

⚛️ US-Saudi Nuclear Deal: Atoms, Alliances and Ambiguity 🇺🇸🇸🇦 The proposed US-Saudi nuclear agreement goes beyond civilian nuclear cooperation. In a new NPD Brief, @ShazaArif14 (@BASIC_int) examines the agreement as a strategic bargain with implications for regional alliances, security and the future of nuclear non-proliferation. For Washington, the agreement could reinforce US influence in the Middle East, limit Chinese and Russian involvement and support the US nuclear industry. For Riyadh, it offers prospects for energy diversification, technological development and greater political leverage amid its rivalry with Iran. While the agreement would not immediately authorise domestic enrichment, Arif examines how it could establish the legal and institutional foundations for long-term nuclear cooperation. 📄 basicint.org/us-saudi-nuclea… #SaudiArabia #UnitedStates #NuclearEnergy #NonProliferation #MiddleEast #EUNPDC

🎙️ Transcript available | Better Know a Non-Nuke: Belarus 🇧🇾 From a Soviet nuclear host to renewed nuclear deployments, Belarus’s experience sheds light on the evolving challenges of nuclear arms control and non-proliferation. In this episode of @IISS_org The Arms Control Primer, @esokova, (@VCDNP), and Dr Alexander Sorg (Centre for International Security at the Hertie School), join Dr @alexbollfrass (IISS). Their conversation explores: 🔹 Belarus’s role in the Soviet nuclear programme; 🔹 the strategic and tactical nuclear weapons inherited after the collapse of the Soviet Union; 🔹 the country’s subsequent disarmament and accession to the NPT as a non-nuclear-weapon state; 🔹 and the implications of Russia’s recent deployment of nuclear-capable systems on Belarusian territory. 📄 Read the full transcript and listen to the episode: iiss.org/podcasts/arms-contr… #EUNPDC #NuclearDisarmament #NonProliferation #ArmsControl #Belarus