Review Cycles

The 2022-2026 Review Cycle

France’s objectives for the Eleventh NPT Review Cycle

The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) is the cornerstone of our collective security architecture. It can only be strengthened with concrete and realistic measures as part of a balanced approach to its three pillars.

Our road map is as follows:

• Adopt a firm and determined response to all proliferation crises

The proliferation of nuclear weapons and their means of delivery is a threat to international peace and security.

Resolving the North Korean crisis is one of our main priorities. North Korea’ nuclear and ballistic threat is unacceptable. North Korea must carry out the complete, verifiable and irreversible dismantling of its ballistic and nuclear programmes in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions.

France, along with its partners, is also working to achieve a diplomatic solution to the Iranian proliferation crisis. Iran must end the nuclear escalation it has conducted since 2019 without credible civilian justification, resume the full implementation of its nuclear obligations and commitments, and fully cooperate with the IAEA.

• Promote a realistic and progressive nuclear disarmament agenda

Nuclear disarmament is built with patience, perseverance and realism. It requires a cooperative approach and each State’s security concerns need to be addressed. France has an unparalleled record when it comes to nuclear disarmament. As the President of the French Republic declared on 7 February 2020, France has several priorities:

• • The negotiation of a Treaty banning the production of fissile material for use in nuclear weapons or other explosive devices (“Cut-off Treaty” - FMCT) at the Conference on Disarmament, on the basis of the Shannon Mandate, is a crucial and irreplaceable step to making concrete progress towards a world without nuclear weapons;
  • The entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) continues to be vital: it is an essential element to prevent new weapons from being designed. France calls on all States who have not yet done so to sign and ratify the CTBT;
  • The continuation of work on the verification of nuclear disarmament between nuclear-weapon States and non-nuclear-weapon States are also useful in strengthening trust among States Parties to the NPT. France is an active member of the International Partnership for Nuclear Disarmament Verification (IPNDV) and co-organized a field exercise with Germany (NuDiVe);
  • Efforts must also be continued to reduce the strategic risks related to the use of nuclear weapons based on the transparency of nuclear doctrines, dialogue between military and political leaders, crisis communication instruments and reassurance measures;
  • France provides negative security assurances to all non-nuclear-weapon States Parties to the NPT that comply with their non-proliferation commitments. France supported the creation of nuclear-weapon-free zones in Latin America, the Pacific, Africa and Central Asia. From the outset, France has also been a strong supporter of the establishment of a zone free of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems in the Middle East. France is also determined to continue the dialogue with the ASEAN and its Member States to enable the full realization of a zone free of nuclear weapons in Southeast Asia.

France attaches great importance to transparency efforts concerning its doctrine and its arsenal, to the extent possible with regards to security and non-proliferation concerns. France thus communicates regularly on its deterrence doctrine, for example during the speech on the defence and deterrence strategy that the French President gave on 7 February 2020 to the 27th class of the École de Guerre.

• Promote responsible and sustainable development of civil nuclear energy

The development of civil nuclear cooperation is one of the basic goals of the NPT. Any State conducting nuclear activities in good faith for peaceful purposes should be eligible for cooperation under Article IV of the Treaty, in compliance with the highest non-proliferation, safety, security and environmental standards.

France is developing strategic partnerships with a large number of States interested in the development of nuclear energy. This cooperation is crafted within a strict framework through intergovernmental agreements. France has concluded 25 of them to date.

In 2017, France launched an initiative aiming to share best practices and to present the benefits of intergovernmental agreements in the area of civil nuclear energy cooperation to facilitate cooperation with new incoming States and all the countries interested. A working document was drafted that compiled an illustrative and non-exclusive list of best practices regarding the structuring of civil nuclear cooperation. It was submitted to the 2018 and 2019 Preparatory Committees and supported by 12 States (Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Finland, France, Greece, Latvia, Mexico, Niger, Portugal, Romania, Ukraine).

The benefits of nuclear technologies cover an extremely broad range of potential applications in such areas as health, the environment, agriculture, industry or the protection of cultural heritage. France supports IAEA efforts in these areas and promotes examples of concrete actions that contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals within the Review Conference Cycle.

The strengthening of nuclear safety and security is vital to responsible and sustainable development of peaceful uses of nuclear energy in the world. France supports the IAEA and various international organizations and initiatives working in the area by providing its expertise, organizing training courses and assistance , and via financial contributions.

France invites all States Parties to the NPT to subject their national nuclear safety and security programmes to an external assessment within the effective framework offered by the IAEA.

France’s goal for the next NPT Review Conference is clear: to preserve and strengthen the authority of the NPT and underline its value for the future.

2023 First Preparatory Committee

The first session of the Preparatory Committee to the new NPT Review Cycle, chaired by Ambassador Jarma Viinanen (Finland), was held in Vienna from 31 July to 11 August 2023, following a meeting of the Working Group on Strengthening the NPT Review Process, as decided at the 2022 Review Conference.

France recalled that the step-by-step approach was the only way to produce concrete results when it comes to disarmament. To this end, priority should be given to the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and negotiations at the Conference on Disarmament of a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT). France stressed the deteriorating strategic context and the acute character of proliferation crises, which continue to be important concerns of the international community. France recalled the importance of taking into account the security context and the principle of undiminished security for all with regard to disarmament. Lastly, it recalled that was crucial to continue working on the responsible development of civil nuclear energy.

Ahead of 2023 Preparatory Committee, France invited several States Parties to the NPT, represented in Geneva, to visit the dismantled French fissile material production facilities for nuclear weapons at its Marcoule site. The irreversible dismantling of these sites illustrates France’s nuclear disarmament efforts.

France is actively taking part in discussions and is particularly invested in the area of transparency. It submitted a non-paper that advocates a qualitative approach via a dedicated NPT forum and the holding of interactive discussions before the Third Preparatory Committee, underlining the unrealistic nature of a quantitative approach. This non-paper proposed: i) that the Review Conferences systematically plan sessions dedicated to the review of the national reports of the Nuclear-Weapon States and the Non-Nuclear-Weapon States and ii) that a dedicated session be held at the Third Preparatory Committee for consultation by the Nuclear-Weapon States and the Non-Nuclear-Weapon States with a view to submitting their reports.

Despite an almost complete consensus on this issue, which was totally within the scope of the 2010 Action Plan, two States opposed the adoption of substantial recommendations on transparency and accountability measures.

The 2022 Review Conference

The Tenth NPT Review Conference was held in New York from 1 to 26 August 2022, and chaired by the Argentine Ambassador, Mr Gustavo Zlauvinen.

It was marked by the COVID-19 crisis, which led to its postponement to 2022, and the deteriorating strategic context related to Russia’s unjustified aggression against Ukraine.

Russia alone is responsible for the fact that a final document was not issued at this Review Conference, as all the other Parties were ready to approve the submitted draft.

France continues to be fully mobilized around the three pillars:

• Regarding nuclear disarmament, France continues to promote a realistic agenda, factoring in the deteriorating strategic context, in order to make progress with a step-by-step approach, highlighting achievable elements, such as the CTBT and the FMCT;
• France also stands out due to its leading position in dealing with proliferation crises. It took action to coordinate a P3 ministerial statement at the opening of the Conference, a statement on Ukraine supported by 55 States and the European Union as well as a statement on North Korea supported by 79 States. France’s action on North Korea reflects its commitment to dealing with major proliferation crises and provides support to its discourse affirming the NPT’s central and key importance;
• France has also actively supported peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
  France has also organized a public event on its national report, in an effort to promote transparency , based on its commitments made at the 2010 Review Conference.

Ahead of the Review Conference, France invited 40 accredited delegations at the Conference on Disarmament to visit the former fissile material production facilities for nuclear weapons in Pierrelatte and Marcoule. The irreversible dismantling of these sites illustrates France’s nuclear disarmament efforts.

The 2015 Review Conference

The Ninth NPT Review Conference was held in New York from 27 April to 22 May 2015, chaired by the Algerian Ambassador, Ms Taous Feroukhi.

Despite intense consultations, the Conference was unable to issue a final document due to a lack of consensus. Polarized discussions – at times completely out of sync with the strategic context – and the lack of an agreement on the issue of a nuclear-weapon-free zone in the Middle East prevented a final document from being adopted.

In an effort to support transparency, France organized two visits in 2015 for representatives of 45 Member States of the Conference on Disarmament: that of the Luxeuil air base on 16 April 2015, whose nuclear squadron was disbanded to fulfil France’s commitments to reduce nuclear forces, and that of the Albion plateau on 18 June 2015, the former site of France’s ground-to-ground missiles, dismantled since 1996.

The 2010 Review Conference

The Eighth NPT Review Conference was held in New York from 3 to 28 May 2010. It was held at a key time for the nuclear non-proliferation regime, faced with many challenges, the first being the proliferation crises in North Korea and Iran.
For the first time, the States Parties to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty adopted by consensus an action plan with 64 concrete measures on the Treaty’s three pillars (disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful uses of nuclear energy), as well as on the Middle East.

France committed fully to the success of the May 2010 Review Conference, which was an important step in the international community’s efforts to strengthen the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and our collective security system. This Conference helped consolidate the international community’s support for the NPT, at a time when the treaty faced a number of challenges.

As regards disarmament, the measures converged with our desire to prioritize concrete, realistic actions. They factored in the three priorities of the Cherbourg action plan proposed by the President of the French Republic in March 2008 and the European disarmament strategy: continuation of the US-Russia disarmament process, entry into force of the CTBT, and negotiation of the FMCT. They also highlighted the importance of confidence and transparency, which we advocated. France did, however, regret that the action plan endorsed by the States Parties was not more ambitious concerning the moratorium on the production of fissile material for use in nuclear weapons or other explosive devices (which was already being applied by four Nuclear-Weapon States) and on recalling the efforts required of all States in all areas of disarmament.

As regards nuclear non-proliferation, France would have preferred more ambitious texts. It also regretted that the important issue of NPT withdrawal was not tackled. However, a very positive point is that the text on non-proliferation encouraged all States that had not yet done so to sign an additional protocol. It also highlighted the need for compliance with non-proliferation obligations and called for a response in the event of failure to comply with IAEA safeguards agreements and for cooperation with the Agency.

The final document also included several actions to promote the responsible development of civil nuclear energy, following up on a conference which we organized in Paris in March 2010 on that same subject.

The adoption of a specific text on the Middle East, providing for concrete steps including a project for a Conference on the implementation of the 1995 resolution, initially scheduled for 2012, was a step forward.