EFAD welcomes European Parliament’s push to address legal issues surrounding the use of armed drones
Today, the European Parliament (EP) passed a recommendation on armed drones to the European Council, on the occasion of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly. The recommendation, passed by the EP’s Committee of Foreign Affairs with 29 in favor, 9 against, and 20 abstentions, particularly emphasizes the need for armed drones to be used in accordance with international law, and it asks the Council to starts pursuing this in international fora. The relevant text reads as follows:
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The European Parliament’s position on armed drones and international law is a blurry one. For example, earlier this year the EP turned down a recommendation to tie international human rights law to the EU’s own development of armed drones. However, in 2014, the EP passed a resolution urging the EU to develop policy responses that uphold human rights and international humanitarian law, and called on the Council to adopt a EU Common Position on the use of armed drones.
In light of the ways in which drones are used, the renewed EP’s effort to address the ethical and legal challenges at the UN level is a welcome one.