Minister of State for Europe

Michael Roth MdB

Minister of State for Europe

Berlin, the 5th of September 2016

Dear colleague, dear Agnieszka Brugger,

Your Question:

Under which circumstances would the Federal Government vote “yes” at the upcoming voting of the United Nations General Assembly on the resolution on the effects of the use of uranium ammunition in accordance with the recommendation of the European Parliament and what specific measures are employed as follow-up to the decision of the Bundestag of the 28th April 2016 (BT-Drs.:18/8097)?

I am answering as follows:

The resolution introduced by Indonesia and the non-aligned states in 2014 on “the effects of the use of armaments and ammunitions containing depleted uranium” did not, from the point of view of the Federal Government, adequately reflect the current state of research on the subject (among others by the United Nations Environment Programme, the International Atomic Energy Agency, the World Health Organisation and the EU).

The essence of the United Nations Environment Programme report numbering A/65/129/Add.1 of the year 2010 stating that remains of depleted uranium in the environment would cause no radio-biological risk to the civilian population on the spot was not taken into account in the resolution. For this reason, Germany agreed to the predecessor resolution in 2012 already with restrictions only and abstained, like other EU partners too, in 2014. In both cases the motives where described in detail in an accompanying explanation of vote.

In the case that a new resolution on “the effects of the use of armaments and ammunitions containing depleted uranium” during the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in 2016 would reflect the current state of research in a balanced and adequate manner the Feral Government could, like in the years until 2010, vote with “yes”.

The Federal Government takes an objective debate on potential effects of the use of ammunition containing depleted uranium very seriously. As already before the decision of the Bundestag in accordance with draft decision No. 5 at Bundestagsdrucksache 18/8097 of 13th April 2016 the government is following research results of renowned scientists and independent research institutes attentively. The Institute of Radiobiology of the Bundeswehr is evaluating current publications on the subject regularly together with partner research instituitions.

With kind regards

Michael Roth