The Hague, 5 December 2002

OPCW National Authorities Discuss Import and Export of Scheduled Chemicals - Madrid, Spain

National Authorities from 35 Member States participated in a two-day meeting from 28 to 29 November 2002 to discuss the practical implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC). The National Authorities are government bodies established to implement the Convention’s stipulations at the national level. The Convention foresees strict monitoring of transfers of dual-use chemicals, as well as of relevant industrial chemical activities.

The National Authority of Spain and the Technical Secretariat of the OPCW organized the Madrid meeting to facilitate the exchange of information and experiences, to identify common problems and to facilitate their resolution through the cooperation of States Parties and the Secretariat, as well as to enhance the National Authority’s self-sufficiency in implementing the Convention’s stipulations.

The meeting was attended by representatives from Argentina, Bulgaria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, India, Iran, Italy, Latvia, Lesotho, Mexico, Morocco, The Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United States of America, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Zambia.

Discussions were held on a number of topics, including those relating to the import and export provisions of the Convention, the transit of chemicals, free ports and customs. The programme was supported by presentations made by representatives of the free ports of Barcelona and Rotterdam and of the World Customs Organisation.

The chemical transfer regime of the Convention serves to monitor non-proliferation. Effective implementation of the import and export provisions of the CWC provides all Member States a security benefit. In detail, the Convention establishes the obligation for States Parties to monitor and to submit regular declarations on chemical production and transfers. On-site inspections may also occur, depending on the type of chemicals involved.

Meeting these obligations involves a considerable resource investment by the National Authorities. More work in this field is required in order to provide a clearer picture about the flow of scheduled chemicals around the world. There was a broad agreement among participants that the discussion of the transfers regime under the CWC should continue and that the meeting in Spain was a first step in this process.