The Walloon Government has approved a draft decree aimed at reforming regulations on defence and civilian weapons products.
The decree seeks to optimise the authorisation system, simplify procedures, and adapt them to industry realities, while maintaining ethical principles, international commitments, and enhanced democratic oversight.
This reform concerns the 2012 "Walloon Arms Decree," which regulates the import, export, transit, and transfer of defence equipment and civilian weapons in the region. It comes amidst ongoing issues around the transit of military equipment, notably restrictions on shipments to Israel.
The draft decree proposes ending the current system that requires individual licences for every movement, instead streamlining the process with a more flexible approach.
The scope of regulated products will also be clarified. Items like screws, bolts, seals, and rivets, which can be used in military equipment but are not specifically designed for it, will be excluded from the licensing framework.
Maintenance and warranty-related licences tied to contracts will benefit from simplified procedures if the primary contract licence has already been approved.
Other changes include extending licence validity from 18 to 36 months and introducing an emergency mechanism allowing the government to restrict or suspend operations involving certain products within Wallonia.
Finally, the government will now present quarterly reports to the parliamentary oversight sub-commission on arms licences. These reports will include more detailed information compared to the current semi-annual summaries.
