Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council. Evaluation of Council Directive 91/477/EC of 18 June 1991, as amended by Directive 2008/51/EC of 21 May 2008, on control of the acquisition and possession of weapons

Council Directive 91/477/EEC on control of the acquisition and possession of weapons was adopted on 18 June 1991 and amended by Directive 2008/51/EC on 21 May 2008 (The Firearms Directive). Article 17 of the Firearms Directive provides that "the Commission shall, by 28 July 2015, submit a report to the European Parliament and the Council on the situation resulting from the application of the Directive, accompanied, if appropriate, by proposals".

In view of preparing the report, the Commission launched an evaluation study carried out by external consultants. The evaluation study, concluded in December 2014, contains an extensive analysis of the Directive's implementation as well as an analysis of the performance of the legislation according to five key evaluation criteria. It also provides, on the basis of the findings, specific recommendations for improvements directed either to the Commission, or to Member States authorities, or to both. This evaluation has been linked to the Regulatory Fitness and Performance (REFIT) Programme of the Commission.

Upon conclusion of the evaluation study, the Commission asked the members of the Committee established under Article 13(a) of the Directive (Firearms Committee), representing the 28 EU Member States and the four EEA and EFTA countries, to comment and provide an assessment of its findings and recommendations. The committee members provided their feedback orally at the committee meetings (on 18 December 2014 and 25 March 2015), complemented in writing by some Member States (Belgium, France, Sweden, and the United Kingdom).

The final report of the evaluation study was delivered just before the dramatic events of Paris and Copenhagen took place in January 2015. These developments have highlighted the existence of pressing security issues at EU level. At the Firearms Committee meeting held in March 2015, the Commission invited Member States' representatives not only to comment on the evaluation's conclusions but also to raise other possible concerns on the implementation of the Firearms Directive linked to the recent dramatic events that would not have been identified by the consultant.

The aim of this report is to describe the findings of the evaluation study, complement them with feedback received so far and present the critical assessment of the Commission. The report firstly recalls the background and the main provisions of the Firearms Directive. It presents the methodology, the results of the evaluation study in relation to five evaluation criteria (i.e. effectiveness, efficiency, consistency, relevance, EU added value) and its recommendations. It provides as well a critical assessment of the findings. Finally, it indicates which initiatives the Commission might consider undertaking to tackle issues highlighted by the evaluation and confirmed by Member States' feedback.

ESO: Background information: European Commission strengthens control of firearms across the EU http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-european-commission-strengthens-control-of-firearms-across-the-eu/

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