On August 29, 2023, the European Union (EU) marked the International Day against Nuclear Tests by urging all nations to eliminate nuclear weapons completely and irreversibly. Josep Borrell, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, stated that nuclear tests violate international law and pose a menace to global peace. He called on all countries to denounce nuclear testing and collaborate to eradicate nuclear arms.
The EU has consistently supported the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT), active since 1996 but pending full ratification by all states with nuclear capabilities. The EU appealed to nations to promptly ratify the CTBT and work towards its complete enactment.
In 2009, the United Nations General Assembly established the International Day against Nuclear Tests to increase awareness about the hazards of nuclear testing and advocate for a world without nuclear weapons.
Alongside the EU, various other nations and entities, including the United Nations, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, also observed the International Day against Nuclear Tests. These remembrances transpired amidst renewed apprehensions concerning nuclear proliferation. Recent years have seen worries over nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea, alongside appeals for the reduction of nuclear arsenals by the United States and Russia.
The International Day against Nuclear Tests underscores the imperative to strive for a nuclear-free world. Nuclear testing is a perilous and ruinous endeavor incompatible with the 21st century. Collaborative efforts between the EU and other nations must persist in pursuit of this objective.
