Report highlights EU’s continued efforts to improve effective control of exports of sensitive items

In 2024, EU Member States authorised dual-use exports amounting to €77.6 billion, which represents 3% of total extra-EU exports of goods. This is a slight increase compared to €71 billion the year before. At the same time, 487 transactions involving dual use items were denied by Member States on account of security risks associated with their end use.  

The report, published by the European Commission, shows that the top five destinations by value for EU dual-use exports, based on individual and general export authorisations, were China (25%), the United States of America (21%), the United Kingdom (7%), South Korea (7%), and Ukraine (3%).  

It highlights the EU’s continued efforts to strengthen its export control policy and regulatory framework. It presents key actions taken in 2024 by the Commission and Member States to ensure the effective implementation of export controls, including updates to the EU list of dual-use items, guidelines for cyber-surveillance exporters, and recommendations to improve the coordination of national control lists issued by individual EU countries. The report also underlines the EU’s ongoing work to tighten dual-use export restrictions against Russia, prevent circumvention through cooperation with third countries, and reinforce the secure IT infrastructure underpinning information exchange between Member States. 

The publication of the report – the second of its kind – reflects the EU’s determination to improve information sharing on national licensing decisions, and to increase transparency regarding export controls. 

In parallel, the Commission has launched an overall evaluation of the Dual-Use Regulation, as foreseen in Article 26(4). The overall evaluation exercise should identify shortcomings related to the current functioning of the EU’s dual-use export control regime and draw lessons for how the system could function more effectively and respond to the challenges the EU faces. 

In the first half of July, the Commission will publish a public consultation together with targeted consultations for specialists, allowing citizens, civil society and other stakeholders, including national authorities, companies, research institutes and academia, to contribute to the evaluation process. 

For more information  

Annual report (will be published soon)

Exporting dual-use items