EU enables coordinated export controls by compiling national lists

New 'autonomous' controls at EU level were made possible by the publication of a first compilation of EU Member States’ national export control lists on 20 October 2023. This list means that Member States are now able to impose authorisation requirements on exports of items included in other Member States’ control lists, as long as these are included in the Commission’s own compilation.

This first list includes Dutch controls on machines to make semiconductors, as well as Spanish controls on quantum computing, additive manufacturing and other emerging technologies. The publication opens the door for other Member States to coordinate their actions on export controls at a time of increased awareness of essential security concerns.

The compilation will be updated whenever Member States notify new or amended national export control measures to the Commission.

Background

Prior to the entry into force of the EU’s Dual Use Regulation in 2021, EU export controls had been exclusively based on multilateral controls decided internationally in Multilateral Export Control Regimes (MERCs) – voluntary and non-binding agreements between countries designed to regulate the transfer of certain military and dual use technology and prevent the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction – such as the Nuclear Supplier Group or the Wassenaar Arrangement.

Under the EU’s Dual-Use Regulation, Member States have the opportunity to coordinate their export controls on items for which export controls have not been agreed multilaterally. The EU’s recent Economic Security Strategy calls for the full implementation of the regulation as part of a comprehensive approach to the protection of the Union's economic security.

For more information

Compilation of national control lists

Dual-Use Regulation and summary