ABSTRACT
The EU maintains strong ties with active informal regimes in the field of non-proliferation, particularly the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), a multinational body that seeks to reduce nuclear proliferation by controlling exports and transfers of materials that could be used for the development of nuclear weapons. All 27 EU member states are members of the NSG, while the European Commission holds a permanent observer status. This raises significant but as yet unexplored questions about the relationship between the EU and the NSG. The first set of question pertains to the representation of the EU in the Group and how the EU coordinates its policies within the Group: Do EU member states act in a unified manner in the Group? Or does the EU itself act as a bloc within the Group? The second question is whether the EU's activity in this area has led to changes in the delicate balance between commercial considerations and security interests that often exist in the realm of controlling dual-use products (especially enrichment and reprocessing technologies) among NSG member states, including EU member states. We will also analyse the relationship between the EU and the NSG from an impact perspective, in terms of the influence that EU member states have had in shaping the Group's guidelines.
