The European Union has long stood at the forefront of the fight against anti-personnel landmines. Its early and active support for the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty reflected a shared European belief: that these weapons are inherently inhumane, fundamentally indiscriminate, and have no place in modern warfare.
This was a principled stance rooted in the devastating humanitarian consequences of landmine use. But a dangerous new precedent has emerged as five EU member states —Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland — have moved to withdraw from the Mine Ban Treaty, citing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and a rapidly deteriorating security environment. This puts the EU under moral pressure to act. Anti-personnel landmines do not distinguish between a soldier and a child. Once laid, landmines remain active for years, even decades, long after hostilities have ended. They lay still and maim a civilians trying to return to normal life, to rebuild, to farm their land.
Read more…
Source: The Parliament
Sign up for the Counter-IED Report Newsletter
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- 100ml limit on liquids to return to all EU airports from September
August 24, 2024
Passing through airport security can be a tedious part of the air travel process but some European airports had managed to speed it up thanks to the installation of state-of-the-art scanners, which allow passengers to carry electronic devices and cosmetics of any quantity in their luggage without having to take them out. But despite the equipment’s ...
- EU allocating EUR 2M for new humanitarian mine action initiative in Ukraine
August 13, 2024
The European Union is allocating EUR 2 million to finance a new humanitarian mine action initiative in Ukraine, which will be carried out by Ukrainian handlers with their highly trained dogs. The relevant statement was made by the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. “Ukrainian handlers with their highly trained dogs ...
- Switzerland: Detection of improvised explosive devices – armasuisse takes part in a European Defence Agency project
July 17, 2024
Bern, 17.07.2024 – Improvised explosive devices are set to be able to be detected quicker and more reliably in the future. The Federal Office for Defence Procurement armasuisse is taking part in a European Defence Agency (EDA) research project on this topic. The Deputy Chief of Armament Thomas Rothacher signed the agreement to participate in ...
- Kenya: EU council gives Sh2.7 billion (€20 million) in first assistance measure for KDF
June 24, 2024
The Council of the European Union on Monday approved a Sh2.7 billion (€20 million) assistance measure under the European Peace Facility to enhance the operational capabilities of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). This measure, the first for the KDF, aims to protect Kenya’s territorial integrity, sovereignty, and civilian population from both internal and external threats, particularly ...
- Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention – Intersessional meeting – EU Statement on Victim Assistance
June 18, 2024
The European Union has been resolutely engaged in favour of mine victims and persons with disabilities through its policies and assistance, in particular in the implementation of the Council Decision (CFSP) 2021/257 which provides for national stakeholder dialogues to encourage parties responsible for the wellbeing of mine‐affected communities and survivors to better address the challenges ...
- Houthi Red Sea attacks decline in last week as navies act, Greece says
June 4, 2024
Closer international cooperation between naval missions in the Red Sea has reduced the number of attacks by Yemen’s Houthis over the past week, Greek Shipping Minister Christos Stylianides told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. Greece is the home of the headquarters of the European Union’s naval operation in the Red Sea, which is dubbed “Aspides” ...
- Germany to keep military base in Niger open under temporary deal, Berlin says
May 28, 2024
Germany will keep its military air transport hub in Niger’s capital Niamey open for now, the defence ministry in Berlin said late on Tuesday, shortly after the European Union announced it would end its military mission in the country by June 30. Berlin has some 90 troops based in Niamey at the moment. Until a coup ...
- More than 3 000 law enforcement authorities now connected to Europol
April 12, 2024
As of today, over 3 000 law enforcement authorities from more than 70 countries and international entities are connected to Europol’s secure information exchange channel, known as SIENA (‘Secure Information Exchange Network Application’). The platform enables the swift exchange of operational and strategic information among Europol, EU Member States and partner countries with which Europol has ...
- UNDP equips 1,010 State Service of Emergency of Ukraine deminers with support from EU, governments of Denmark, Japan and Sweden
April 5, 2024
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, with generous funding from the European Union, the governments of Denmark, Japan and Sweden, has provided a substantial batch of demining and protective equipment to 202 demining units of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (SESU), which is 80 percent of all the SESU capacities. The batch includes ...
- Ukraine: International partners have allocated over US$700 million for humanitarian mine action projects
April 4, 2024
Ukraine’s international partners have allocated more than US$700 million in equivalent funds for humanitarian demining projects between 2022 and 2027. It is noted that the key donors to Ukraine are the USA, Switzerland, Norway, EU countries, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany and others. “Through joint work, it is possible to return land to productive use, protect the ...
- Building bombings and 14-year-old hitmen, organised crime overwhelms Sweden
March 31, 2024
In less than 15 years, Sweden has gone from being one of the world’s safest countries to having the highest rate of gun homicides in the entire EU (double that of Croatia, the second highest) and a number of explosions — by bombs or by hand grenades — that is comparable to some countries at ...
- EU Gives Initial Backing to €5 Billion Weapons Fund for Ukraine
March 13, 2024
Ambassadors of the European Union agreed in principle to provide €5 billion ($5.5 billion) in military support for Ukraine, after member states reached a compromise to allow purchases from outside the bloc. The envoys backed the plan at a meeting Wednesday, the Belgian presidency of the EU said in a post on X. The agreement boosts ...
- Finland to send expert to support Ukraine in preparing for CBRN risks
March 5, 2024
Ukraine has requested assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in preparing for threats related to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear agents. Finland responds to the request by sending an expert to join the EU’s international team. The Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), operating under the European Commission, has put together an international team to support ...
- Europe battles gunpowder shortage amid Ukraine war
March 3, 2024
Hard-to-find gunpowder is hindering Europe’s scramble to provide hundreds of thousands of shells for Ukraine’s defensive effort against Russian invaders, with solutions only starting to emerge. Gunpowder goes into propellant charges that hurl artillery shells — such as the NATO-standard 155mm projectiles used in many guns sent to Ukraine — over distances of tens of kilometers. ...
- EU naval mission to protect ships in Red Sea set to be launched on 19 February
January 31, 2024
A European Union naval mission to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea from missile attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen is expected to be launched on February 19, the bloc’s top diplomat announced on Wednesday. “Maritime security in the Red Sea has significantly deteriorated over the last weeks and we are very much advancing the ...
- EU funds rescEU detection and surveillance teams to boost preparedness to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear emergencies
January 25, 2024
The Commission has allocated almost €70 million to fund the development of new specialised teams and equipment to further strengthen the preparedness and response to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) risks. The funding has been granted to Italy, Poland and Romania to develop the rescEU detection capabilities. The aim is that EU Member States will ...
- The post-organizational terrorism in the European Union and beyond
January 10, 2024
Terrorism is one of the most serious threats the International Community has to face due to its always increasing sprawling and undefined nature, that keeps changing decade after decade. International safety is now confronting with what is called post-organizational terrorism, characterized by the rise of loose networks, small cells and lone actors. Within this framework, Africa ...
- EU funds further strategic reserves for medical, chemical, biological and radio-nuclear emergencies worth €690 million
December 20, 2023
The Commission is allocating today around €690 million to Czechia, Finland, France, Lithuania, Poland, Portugal and Romania to further develop the rescEU strategic reserves of medical and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) items. The reserves are part of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism’s rescEU medical stocks funded by the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority ...
- Five right-wing terrorists arrested throughout Europe with the support of Eurojust and Europol
November 10, 2023
Eurojust and Europol have supported the competent authorities in Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Lithuania, Romania and Italy in an international operation against right-wing terrorism. During a joint action day, 5 suspects were apprehended and an additional 7 others interrogated across the different countries. Furthermore, data carriers and weapons were seized. The suspects allegedly belong to a right-wing ...
- UNICRI: Final review meeting of the Prosecutor’s guide to radiological and nuclear crimes
November 3, 2023
The threat of acquiring, producing and disseminating radiological and nuclear hazardous materials for deliberate use has substantially increased over the past ten years. The lack of experience and awareness among law enforcement and judicial authorities, as well as prosecutorial and judicial teams, has been identified as the weakest link in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) ...
- EU confirms readiness to support Ukraine in mine clearance
October 4, 2023
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine has held a meeting with a delegation of the Foreign Policy Instruments Service of the European Commission, headed by Director Peter Wagner, dedicated to mine clearance issues, the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported. “Today, on October 4, a delegation of the Foreign Policy Instruments Service ...
- European Defence Agency monitored project links ground and aerial systems to detect explosives
October 2, 2023
The European Defence Agency has overseen the final demonstration of coordination between aerial and ground unmanned systems in the detection of explosives. During the demonstration, one aerial unmanned system and two ground unmanned systems, each equipped with different sensors, undertook a complete autonomous search to detect mock-ups of explosives and improvised explosive devices, including unexploded ordinance ...