Enforcing non-proliferation. The European Union and the 2006 BTWC Review Conference

This Chaillot Paper focuses on international efforts to prevent biological agents and toxins being developed and used as weapons. It considers the evolution of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), paying particular attention to the outcomes of the past five review conferences. Its aim is to contribute to current European thinking in the light of the 6th BTWC Review Conference, which took place in November-December 2006. Besides examining the evolution of international efforts to promote disarmament, the paper considers challenges to the convention, such as issues of verification and the impact of advances in the field of science and technology. Weaknesses and limitations in current policy-making are identified and analysed.

European Union Institute for Security Studies: Chaillot Papers: No.93, November 2006 (Summary) http://www.iss.europa.eu/index.php?id=18&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[cat]=21&tx_ttnews[pS]=1136070000&tx_ttnews[pL]=31535999&tx_ttnews[arc]=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=164&tx_ttnews[backPid]=143&cHash=c0edc0e6d0

Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC): Website http://www.opbw.org/

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