Licence denials by type of criteria

Member States must follow common rules governing the control of export of military technology and
equipment. The eight common criteria for assessing arms export licences are the following:
1. Respect for the international obligations and commitments of EU Member States, particularly sanctions
(including arms embargos) and international agreements;
2. Respect for human rights and international humanitarian law by the recipient country;
3. The internal situation in the recipient country;
4. Risks to regional peace, security and stability;
5. National security of the Member States as well of their friends and allies;
6. Behaviour of the buyer country towards the international community, including its attitude to terrorism
and respect for international law;
7. Risk of diversion towards an unauthorised end-user or end-use;
8. Compatibility of the arms exports with sustainable development in the recipient country.
The assessments are made on a case-by-case basis.
The bar chart shows the number of refusals by type of criteria that took place in 2013. 107 cases of exports have been refused because of a risk of diversion towards unauthorised end-users or end-uses.