Scott Spence, Programme Director for National Implementation and Larry MacFaul, Programme Director for Verification and Monitoring, participated in the 2017 EU Non-proliferation and Disarmament Conference during 12-13 December in Palais d’Egmont, Brussels.

Scott Spence, Programme Director for National Implementation and Larry MacFaul, Programme Director for Verification and Monitoring, participated in the 2017 EU Non-proliferation and Disarmament Conference during 12-13 December in Palais d’Egmont, Brussels. The Conference had the objective of discussing and identifying further measures to combat the proliferation of WMD, their delivery systems and inter-related disarmament objectives, as well as issues related to conventional weapons, including small arms and light weapons; and to foster the cohesion of the EU Nonproliferation and Disarmament Network, by inviting a core representation of its members to contribute to the discussions. VERTIC is a member of the Network. The participants in the conference heard an opening video message by Federica Mogherini, High
Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice President of the European Commission. The participants also heard panellists discuss perspectives on nonproliferation and disarmament challenges; challenges in Northeast Asia and Asia Pacific; the outcomes of the Meeting of the States Parties to the Biological Weapons Convention; small arms and light weapons flows: preventing diversion; the JCPOA (also known as the Iran deal); keeping up with technological challenges to arms control; and the future of arms control, non-proliferation and disarmament and the role of the EU.

For more about the Conference, click here.

Scott also participated in the EU Non-proliferation Network Meeting, which took place on 11 December just before the Conference. The Network Meeting had the objective of holding discussions on the current state of the Network, expanding it, and expanding co-operation with non-EU research organisations. A series of recommendations were shared with the participants on how these objectives will be achieved in 2018 and beyond.