Berenice Boutin speaks at EU Meeting on Military Use of New Technologies

On 25 February 2021, project leader Dr Berenice Boutin provided a presentation at an informal meeting on the Strategic EU Process on Responsible Military Use of New Technologies, facilitated by the Netherlands and the European Union External Action Service (EEAS).

The presentation was based on the report of the expert meeting on ‘Addressing Gaps in the International Regulation of Warfare and Dual-Use Technologies, Report Presentation’. The presentation highlighted some cross-cutting aspects pertaining to new military technologies, identified challenges regarding their international regulation, and provided recommendations.

Some of the key recommendations included:

• Existing international law fully applies to new and emerging technologies

• Strengthening the application and enforcement of existing frameworks is required

• Guiding principles, which provide interpretative guidance of existing law, could be developed, for instance on State and corporate responsibilities in relation to technologies developed in a private setting

• Manufacturers (public or private) should seek to integrate existing norms in the design of new technologies

• There is a need to operationalise exiting norms and regulation to the context of new technologies, including through certification standards and verification mechanisms

• Regulation and policy in the context of new technologies should adopt a lifecycle approach (i.e. development, acquisition, testing, deployment, monitoring)