EU countries' withdrawal from anti-landmine convention sparks controversy
Five Baltic states want to leave a convention that prohibits use and production of mines, a move accepted by the European Commission and Parliament.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/04/10/eu-countries-withdrawal-from-anti-landmine-convention-sparks-controversy
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Five Baltic states want to leave a convention that prohibits use and production of mines, a move accepted by the European Commission and Parliament.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/04/10/eu-countries-withdrawal-from-anti-landmine-convention-sparks-controversy
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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00:00Antipersonal mines might be making a comeback in Europe after long being banned.
00:10Russia's war in Ukraine has led some countries to reassess their position on these weapons,
00:16banned by the international community in 1997, whose consequences mainly affect civilians and especially children.
00:26Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland have said they intend to withdraw from the Antipersonal mine ban convention,
00:35which prohibits the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of antipersonal mines.
00:41The fact that we would see European countries withdrawing sends a very negative signal to countries that are members of the convention,
00:53that are in a situation of armed conflict, and they might say, look, we are in a situation of armed conflict,
01:00we also are facing a tense environment, so why should we continue to adhere to that treaty?
01:07Currently, 164 countries are signed up to the treaty, all the EU member states as well as most African, Asian and American countries.
01:18Russia, China, India, the United States and Israel are among those not subscribing to the convention.
01:26Antipersonal mines were used in 2024 by armies or military groups in Colombia, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Palestine and several African countries,
01:38according to the Landmine Monitor report.
01:41Russia has also made extensive use of them in its invasion of Ukraine,
01:46but this does not justify EU countries responding in kind, according to Gilles Carbonier.
01:52International humanitarian law and humanitarian disarmament treaties apply precisely in exceptional circumstances of armed conflict,
02:03in the worst of circumstances.
02:05And international humanitarian law does not rest on reciprocity because this would trigger a downward spiral.
02:13Any use of antipersonal mines anywhere, anytime and by any actor remains completely unacceptable,
02:21reads the official position of the EU on the topic, adopted in 2024.
02:26We have contributed over 174 million since 2023 to humanitarian mine action, including 97 million euros specifically for mine clearance.
02:39However, the European Commission has stopped short of condemning the decisions of the five member states.
02:45against the Unknown Minister is two members of the USA.