JOINT ACTION of 29 April 1997 adopted by the Council on the basis of Article J.3 of the Treaty on European Union on the European Union's contribution to the promotion of transparency in nuclear-related export controls (97/288/CFSP)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Articles J.3 and J.11 thereof,

Having regard to the general guidelines laid down by the European Council in Corfu on 24 and 25 June 1994,

Having regard to the decisions of the Conference of the States party to the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) held from 17 April to 12 May 1995,

Having regard to the preparations under way for the 2000 NPT Review Conference,

HAS ADOPTED THIS JOINT ACTION:

Article 1

The objective of this Joint Action shall be to contribute to the strengthening of the international nuclear non-proliferation system, including the promotion of transparency in nuclear-related export controls within the framework of dialogue and cooperation among all interested States party to the Treaty on the Non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).

Article 2

1. For the purposes of the objective set out in Article 1, the European Union shall, among other activities, support the efforts of the Nuclear Suppliers' Group (NSG) to promote transparency. This support will include:

- an active European Union contribution to progress in the work of the NSG Working Group on Transparency which was established by the NSG Buenos Aires plenary from 25 to 26 April 1996,

- a contribution of up to ECU 75 000, to be charged to the general budget of the European Communities for 1997, to the financing of the first NSG seminar on nuclear-related export controls, which is scheduled to take place in October 1997.

2. The expenditure financed by the amount stipulated in paragraph 1 shall be managed in accordance with the European Community procedures and rules applicable to the said budget.

Article 3

The Council will review the implementation of this Joint Action, and the possibility of further measures to be undertaken by the European Union, notably in the context of preparation for the 2000 NPT Review Conference.

Article 4

This Joint Action shall enter into force on the date of its adoption.

Article 5

This Joint Action shall be published in the Official Journal.

Done at Luxembourg, 29 April 1997.

For the Council

The President

H. VAN MIERLO