Worldwide investments in CLUSTER MUNITIONS
report-worldwide_investments_cluster_munitions-2016
report-worldwide_investments_cluster_munitions-2016
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2.3.19 Croatia<br />
The Republic of Croatia signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions <strong>in</strong> Oslo on 3 December 2008. The<br />
Croatian parliament approved the “Law for the Ratification of the Convention on Cluster Munitions”<br />
on 5 June 2009. Croatia formally deposited its ratification with the UN <strong>in</strong> New York on 17 August 2009.<br />
It was the 16th country to ratify, and thus among the first 30 ratifications that triggered the entry <strong>in</strong>to<br />
force of the convention on 1 August 2010. 740<br />
Respond<strong>in</strong>g to a questionnaire by the Cluster Munition Monitor, the M<strong>in</strong>istry of Foreign Affairs and<br />
European Integration of Croatia stated on 23 March 2011 that it agrees that “<strong>in</strong>vestment <strong>in</strong> the production<br />
of cluster munitions is prohibited.” 741<br />
2.3.20 The Czech Republic<br />
On 21 June 2011, president Vaclav Klaus signed Law No. 213 on the Prohibition of the Use, Development,<br />
Production, and Transfer of Cluster Munitions and their Destruction, thus complet<strong>in</strong>g all the necessary<br />
domestic steps to ratify the convention, signed by the Czech Republic on 3 December 2008. 742 It ratified<br />
the convention on 22 September 2011.<br />
In July 2011, the Czech Republic <strong>in</strong>formed the Cluster Munition Monitor that it had not yet reached national<br />
consensus on its views on a number of important issues related to the <strong>in</strong>terpretation and implementation<br />
of the convention, <strong>in</strong>clud<strong>in</strong>g the prohibition on <strong>in</strong>vestment <strong>in</strong> the production of cluster munitions. 743<br />
However, on 30 April 2012 the M<strong>in</strong>istry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic confirmed <strong>in</strong> a letter<br />
to Human Rights Watch that the Czech Republic agrees that “<strong>in</strong>vestment <strong>in</strong> the production of cluster<br />
munitions is prohibited under the Convention.” 744<br />
2.3.21 France<br />
The French Republic signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 3 December 2008. France ratified the<br />
convention on 25 September 2009 and was thus among the first 30 ratifications that triggered the entry <strong>in</strong>to<br />
force of the convention on 1 August 2010. The convention is implemented through the Law on the Elim<strong>in</strong>ation<br />
of Cluster Munitions. 745<br />
The French government gave an <strong>in</strong>terpretive statement specify<strong>in</strong>g that it understood <strong><strong>in</strong>vestments</strong> <strong>in</strong> cluster<br />
munitions as be<strong>in</strong>g banned under the prohibition on assistance. On 6 July 2010, the Deputy M<strong>in</strong>ister of<br />
Defence said <strong>in</strong> an address to the National Assembly that “any know<strong>in</strong>gly f<strong>in</strong>ancial assistance, directly or<br />
<strong>in</strong>directly, <strong>in</strong> the production or trad<strong>in</strong>g of cluster munitions would be considered as assistance,<br />
encouragement or <strong>in</strong>ducement fall<strong>in</strong>g with<strong>in</strong> the scope of the law under crim<strong>in</strong>al complicity or<br />
commission of offences under this bill. If monitor<strong>in</strong>g of the implementation of the law by the National<br />
Commission for the Elim<strong>in</strong>ation of Anti-personnel M<strong>in</strong>es (CNEMA) shows a failure on this po<strong>in</strong>t, the<br />
Government would draw the appropriate conclusions, propos<strong>in</strong>g to the Parliament the necessary legislative<br />
changes.” LIII 746 After a period of <strong>in</strong>activity, CNEMA restarted its work <strong>in</strong> 2012. It decided to look <strong>in</strong>to how<br />
the <strong>in</strong>vestment prohibition as declared by the French government is be<strong>in</strong>g implemented and to consider<br />
possible further actions. 747<br />
LIII Orig<strong>in</strong>al text: “Concernant le f<strong>in</strong>ancement, il est clair, dans notre esprit, que toute aide f<strong>in</strong>ancière, directe ou <strong>in</strong>directe, en<br />
connaissance de cause d’une activité de fabrication ou de commerce d’armes à sous-munitions constituerait une assistance, un<br />
encouragement ou une <strong>in</strong>citation tombant sous le coup de la loi pénale au titre de la complicité ou de la commission des <strong>in</strong>fractions<br />
prévues par le présent projet de loi. Si les travaux de suivi de l’application de la loi par la Commission nationale pour l’élim<strong>in</strong>ation des<br />
m<strong>in</strong>es antipersonnel, la CNEMA, amenaient à constater une <strong>in</strong>suffisance de la loi sur ce po<strong>in</strong>t, le Gouvernement en tirerait les<br />
conclusions qui s’imposent, en proposant au Parlement les modifications législatives nécessaires.” Translated by Esther<br />
Vandenbroucke, FairF<strong>in</strong>.<br />
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