VIENNA, JULY 8 – At its 20th Regular Meeting, Italy reiterated its full support for the goals of the The Hague Code of Conduct as a key instrument for transparency and confidence building against ballistic missile proliferation.
The Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCOC) is the result of efforts of the international community to internationally regulate the area of ballistic missiles capable of carrying weapons of mass destruction. Along with the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the HCOC is the only multilateral transparency and confidence building instrument concerning the spread of ballistic missiles.
By subscribing to the HCoC, members voluntarily commit themselves politically to provide pre-launch notifications (PLNs) on ballistic missile and space-launch vehicle launches (SLVs) and test flights. Subscribing States also commit themselves to submit an annual declaration (AD) of their country’s policies on ballistic missiles and space-launch vehicles.
Since the signing and entering into force of the politically-binding HCOC in November 2002 in The Hague (Netherlands) the number of signatories has increased from 93 to 143. Austria signed the HCOC in 2002, the same year in which Italy joined the agreement.
As agreed by the conference in The Hague, Austria serves as the Immediate Central Contact (Executive Secretariat) and therefore coordinates the information exchange within the HCOC framework. (@OnuItalia)