European Inter-Parliamentarian Joint Statement

"Faced with the bombing of civilians, our governments must rise to the challenge"

A street of the city of Aden in Yemen, destroyed by bombing

Aden, Yemen, destroyed by airstrikes.

On the 27th of May 2021, parliamentarians from different European countries participated in a European Inter-parliamentarian Conference on the future political declaration to protect civilians from the use of Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas (EWIPA). This conference, and the appeal that followed, was a milestone of the parliamentarian engagement in the EWIPA campaign, that eventually led to the conclusion of the process on 18 November 2022.

In the last ten years (2011-2020), there have been 238,892 documented civilian deaths and injuries from explosive weapons in populated areas. When explosive weapons are used in populated areas, 90% of victims are civilians. This compares to 25% in other areas. Explosive weapons, leave cities devastated, cause severe psychological trauma, displacement and impoverishment of the population, destroy vital infrastructure and disrupt the social and economic fabric. Facing the alarming consequences of this military practice, a diplomatic process was officially launched a few years ago to negotiate and agree on a political declaration to protect civilians from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas ; this process is now entering the home straight.

This important conference was organized by Humanity & Inclusion in May, in cooperation with French and German parliamentarians and gathered 39 parliamentarians from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, United Kingdom. During the conference, an European Inter-parliamentarian Joint Statement was presented to ask European governments to:

"support the development of an international political declaration to strengthen the protection of civilians from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas by avoiding their use, and to strengthen assistance to victims of such practices.”

At the end of the conference, 174 members of parliaments from four countries (France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg) signed the statement. It remains open for further signatures.

The political declaration to protect civilians from the use of EWIPA will be finalised in the months to come. This means the declaration could be opened to state signatories by the end of the year.

The European Inter-parliamentarian Joint Statement

Download and read the statement in English, French and German:

What's next?

Following the conclusion of the EWIPA diplomatic process which saw States adopting an international agreement to better protect civilians from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, at the Dublin Conference on 18 November 2022, parliamentarians of all countries and all parties are invited to endorse the new “Parliamentary Call to Action”. It will be the main working and coordinating baseline summarizing concrete and tangible actions that Parliamentarians will undertake in the future. Parliamentarians will continue to have a key role in contributing to the universalization and implementation of the text over the next few years.

List of endorsers of the Joint Statement

Updated April 2022.

Belgium

Hugues Bayet (PS)
Julie Chanson (Ecolo/Groen)
Samuel Cogolati (Ecolo/Groen)
Marie Colline Leroy (Ecolo/Groen)
Cecile Cornet (Ecolo/Groen)
Barbara Creemers (Ecolo/Groen)
Georges Dallemagne (cdH)
Guillaume Defossé (Ecolo/Groen)
Wouter De Vriendt (Ecolo/Groen)
André Flahaut (PS)
Laurence Hennuy (Ecolo/Groen)
Christophe Lacroix (PS)
Simon Moutquin (Ecolo/Groen)
Marie Nagy (DéFI – Démocrate Fédéraliste Indépendant)
Nicolas Parent (Ecolo/Groen)
Eva Platteau (Ecolo/Groen)
Sophie Rohonyi (DéFI - Démocrate Fédéraliste Indépendant)
Cecile Thilbaut (Ecolo/Groen)
Dieter Van Besien (Ecolo/Groen)
Gilles Vandenburre (Ecolo/Groen)
Stefaan Vanhecke (Ecolo/Groen)
Kris Verduyckt (SPA)
Albert Vicaire (Ecolo/Groen)
Evita Willaerts (Ecolo/Groen)

France

Jean-Felix Acquaviva (LT)
Aude Amadou (LREM)
Maurice Antiste (PS)
Cathy Apourceau-Poly (CRCE)
Eliane Assassi (CRCE)
Clémentine Autain (LFI)
Joël Aviragnet (PS)
Jeremy Bacchi (CRCE)
Marie-Noëlle Battistel (PS)
Guy Benarroche (EST)
Gisèle Biémouret (PS)
Eric Bocquet (CRCE)
Jean-Louis Bricout (PS)
Moetai Brotherson (PCF)
Céline Brulin (PCF)
Alain Bruneel (PCF)
Bernard Buis (RDPI)
Emilie Cariou (ND)
Marie-Arlette Carlotti (PS)
Annie Chapelier (AGIR)
Mireille Clapot (LREM)
Laurence Cohen (CRCE)
Jean-Charles Colas-Roy (LREM)
Hélène Conway-Mouret (PS)
Cécile Cukierman (CRCE)
Alain David (PS)
Yolaine De Courson (MODEM)
Jennifer De Temmerman (LT)
Nathalie Delattre (RDSE)
Gilbert-Luc Devinaz (PS)
Jeanine Dubié (PRG)
Frédérique Dumas (LT)
Laurence Dumont (PS)
M'jid El Guerrab (Agir)
Olivier Faure (PS)
Rémi Féraud (PS)
Guillaume Garot (PS)
Fabien Gay (CRCE)
Guillaume Gontard (EELV)
Fabien Gouttefarde (LREM)
Michelle Greaume (CRCE)
Joël Guerriau (Les indépendants)
André Guiol (RDSE)
Ludovic Haye (Agir)
Jean-Michel Houllegatte (PS)
Gisèle Jourda (PS)
Chantal Jourdan (PS)
Hubert Julien-Laferrière (Generation écologie)
Marietta Karamanli (PS)
Manuela Keclard-Mondésir (PCF)
Eric Kerrouche (PS)
Mustapha Laabid (LREM)
Gérard Lahellec (CRCE)
Jérôme Lambert (PS)
Jean Lassale (LT)
Pierre Laurent (PCF)
Nicole Le Peih (LREM)
Jean-Paul Lecoq (PCF)
Marion Lenne (LREM)
Claudine Lepage (PS)
Gérard Leseul (PS)
Marie-Noëlle Lienemann (CRCE)
Didier Marie (PS)
Denis Masséglia (LREM)
Jean-François Mbaye (LREM)
Franck Menonville (Les indépendants)
Franck Montaugé (PS)
Sandrine Mörch (LREM)
Philippe Naillet (PS)
Matthieu Orphelin (EELV)
Pierre Ouzoulias (CRCE)
Michele Peyron (LREM)
Christine Pirès Beaune (PS)
Dominique Potier (PS)
Natalia Pouzyreff (LREM)
Valérie Rabault (PS)
Jean-Hugues Ratenon (LFI)
Christian Redon-Sarrazy (PS)
Mireille Robert (LREM)
Laurianne Rossi (LREM)
Laurence Rossignol (PS)
Claudia Rouaux (PS)
Fabien Roussel (PCF)
Thomas Rudigoz (LREM)
Isabelle Santiago (PS)
Nathalie Sarles (LREM)
Pascal Savoldelli (CRCE)
Lucien Stanzione (PS)
Jean-Pierre Sueur (PS)
Sira Sylla (LREM)
Marie Tamarelle-Verhaeghe (LREM)
Liliana Tanguy (LREM)
Rachid Témal (PS)
Valérie Thomas (LREM)
Jean-Claude Tissot (PS)
Sylvie Tolmont (PS)
Alain Tourret (LREM)
Cécile Untermaier (PS)
Boris Vallaud (PS)
Mickaël Vallet (PS)
André Vallini (PS)
Marie-Claude Varaillas (CRCE)
Michele Victory (PS)
Annie Vidal (LREM)
Martine Wonner (LT)
Richard Yung (RDPI)
Michel Zumkeller (UDI)

Germany

Gökay Akbulut (Die Linke)
Lisa Badum (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Ulrike Bahr (SPD)
Nezahat Baradari (SPD)
Dr. Dietmar Bartsch (Die Linke)Bärbel Bas (SPD)
Leni Breymaier (SPD)
Agnieszka Brugger (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Dr. Lars Castellucci (SPD)
Bernhard Daldrup (SPD)
Ekin Deligöz (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen
Klaus Ernst (Die Linke)
Yasmin Fahimi (SPD)
Stefan Gelbhaar (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Martin Gerster (SPD)
Gregor Gysi (Die Linke)
Rita Hagl-Kehl (SPD)
Dr. Anton Hofreiter (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Andrej Hunko (Die Linke)
Josip Juratovic (SPD)
Oliver Kaczmarek (SPD)
Katja Keul (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Maria Klein-Schmeink (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Daniela Kolbe (SPD)
Renate Künast (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Helge Lindh (SPD)
Dr. Tobias Lindner (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Thomas Lutze (Die Linke)
Beate Müller-Gemmeke (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Amira Mohamed Ali (Die Linke)
Sara Nanni (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Żaklin Nastić (Die Linke)
Ingrid Nestle (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Dietmar Nietan (SPD)
Sabine Poschmann (SPD)
Bernd Riexinger (Die Linke)
Andreas Rimkus (SPD)
Claudia Roth (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Johann Saathoff (SPD)
Ulle Schauws (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Dr. Nina Scheer (SPD)
Marianne Schieder (SPD)
Stefan Schmidt (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Dagmar Schmidt (SPD)
Charlotte Schneidewind-Hartnagel (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Frank Schwabe (SPD)
Stefan Schwartze (SPD)
Dr. Petra Sitte (Die Linke)
Merle Spellerberg (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Claudia Tausend (SPD)
Kathrin Vogler (Die Linke)
Niklas Wagener (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Bernd Westphal (SPD)

Members of Bundestag until September 2021:

Dr. Karl-Heinz Brunner (SPD)
Dr. Daniela De Ridder (SPD)
Dr. Diether Dehm (Die Linke)
Dagmar Freitag (SPD)
Dr. Barbara Hendricks (SPD)
Gabriele Hiller-Ohm (SPD)
Matthias Höhn (Die Linke)
Arno Klare (SPD)
Christoph Matschie (SPD)
Klaus Mindrup (SPD)
Ulli Nissen (SPD)
Thomas Nord (Die Linke)
Tobias Pflüger (SPD)
Detlef Pilger (SPD)
Mechthild Rawert (SPD)
Dr. Frithjof Schmidt (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Charlotte Schneidewind-Hartnagel (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Eva-Maria Schreiber (Die Linke)
Margit Stumpp (Bündnis 90/Die Grünen)
Dr. Kirsten Tackmann (Die Linke)
Ute Vogt (SPD)

Austria

Petra Bayr (SPÖ)
Stephanie Krisper (NEOS)Stephanie Krisper (NEOS)

Luxembourg

Sven Clément (Parti pirate)
Charles Margue (Déi gréng)
Nathalie Oberweis (Dei Lenk)

Norway

Bjørnar Moxnes (Red Party)

Switzerland

Emmanuel Amoos (PS)
Mustafa Atici (PS)
Christine Badertscher (VERT-E-S)
Samuel Bendahan (PS)
Daniel Brélaz (VERT-E-S)
Christine Bulliard-Marbach (Le Centre)
Christophe Clivaz (VERT-E-S)
Damien Cottier (PLR)
Brigitte Crottaz (PS)
Christian Dandrès (PS)
Laurence Fehlmann Rielle (PS)
Fabien Fivaz (VERT-E-S)
Claudia Friedl (PS)
Barbara Gysi (PS)
Charles Juillard (Le Centre)
Delphine Klopfenstein Broggini (VERT-E-S)
Sandra Locher Benguerel (PS)
Vincent Maitre (Le Centre)
Michel Matter (Vert'libéraux)
Lisa Mazzone (VERT-E-S)
Mattea Meyer (PS)
Fabian Molina (PS)
Martina Munz (PS)
Roger Nordmann (PS)
Pierre-André Page (UDC)
Isabelle Pasquier-Eichenberger (VERT-E-S)
Valérie Piller Carrard (PS)
Léonore Porchet (VERT-E-S)
Katharina Prelicz-Huber (VERT-E-S)
Stéfanie Prezioso (solidaritéS)
Franziska Roth (PS)
Barbara Schaffner (Vert'libéraux)
Ursula Schneider Schüttel (PS)
Priska Seiler Graf (PS)
Carlo Sommaruga (PS)
Michael Töngi (VERT-E-S)
Nicolas Walder (VERT-E-S)
Laurent Wehrli (PLR)
Roberto Zanetti (PS)

United Kingdom

Stewart McDonald (Scottish National Party)
Alyn Smith (Scottish National Party)

European Parliament

Marc Angel (S&D)
Alviina Alametsä (Greens/EFA Group)
Saskia Bricmont (Greens/EFA Group)
Damien Carême (Greens/EFA Group)
Ignazio Corrao (Greens/EFA Group)
Ciarán Cuffe (Greens/EFA Group)
Cornelia Ernst (GUE/ NGL)
Raphaël Glucksmann (S&D)
Sylvie Guillaume (S&D)
Hannes Heide (S&D)
Katrin Langensiepen (Greens/EFA Group)
Hannah Neumann (Greens/EFA Group)
Grace O'Sullivan (Greens/EFA Group)
Piernicola Pedicini (Greens/EFA Group)
Evelyn Regner (S&D)
Diana Riba i Giner (Greens/EFA Group)
Mounir Satouri (Greens/EFA Group)
Andreas Schieder (S&D)
Günther Sidl (S&D)
Jordi Solé (Greens/EFA Group)
Bettina Vollath (S&D)
Salima Yenbon (Greens/EFA Group)