Including the Arms Sector in the EU Corporate Due Diligence Directive

This article reflects on the imminent passage of the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) into law and its potential implications for the regulatory makeup of the arms industry in Europe. It argues that the CSDDD could help address the current accountability deficit in the European firearms export regime as well as prevent trafficking and diversion.

The article argues that the CSDDD can contribute to the regulatory landscape for the import and export of firearms by harmonising the rules that govern this activity, if it incorporates the downstream activities of the firearms industry within its scope, which would encompass the distribution, retail, use, and disposal of firearms.