Civilian arms and military material regulations
The Brussels-Capital Region strictly controls the movement of arms and defence equipment, in accordance with regulations that comply with European standards.
Arms and defence-related products regulations
In the Brussels-Capital Region, international movements of firearms for civil and military use and defence-related products are regulated by the ordinance of 20 June 2013 relating to the import, export, transit and transfer of defence-related goods, other goods that can be used for military purposes, goods linked with law enforcement, fire arms for civil use, as well as their components, accessories and ammunition. This ordinance transposes in particular the two European directives on civilian firearms (Council Directive No 91/477/EEC, modified by the Directive (EU) No 2017/853) and defence-related products (Directive (EC) 2009/43/EC).
Firearms for civilian use
Civilian arms, mainly for hunting or sport shooting, but also for collection, historical or folklore purposes, are regulated by Directives 91/477/EEC and 2017/853. Granting licences for these items essentially depends on the administrative compliance of the files (possession permit, sport shooter’s licence, hunting licence, certificate of accreditation as an arms dealer, etc.). However, in the case of large quantities or sensitive destinations, the Licence Cell will assess the request more comprehensively.
Arms and defence-related products
“Defence-related products” refer to all goods or technology included in the Opens in new windowCommon Military List of the European Union. It comprises 22 goods categories, of which you can find the description in the table below. International movements of arms and military equipment are authorised or prohibited according to their compliance with the eight criteria detailed in the Opens in new windowCouncil Common Position 2008/944/CFSP of 8 December 2008 defining common rules governing control of exports of military technology and equipment, as well as the criteria listed by the Opens in new windowArms Trade Treaty. These criteria are related to, among other things, respect for human rights, the destination country’s compliance with international law, the absence of any risk of misappropriation of goods or technologies, the recipient’s attitude to terrorism, etc.
Categories
| Cat. | Description of the equipment category |
|---|---|
| ML 1 | Smooth-bore weapons with a calibre of less than 20 mm, other arms and automatic weapons with a calibre of 12.7 mm (calibre 0.50 inches) or less and accessories, and specially designed components therefor |
| ML 2 | Smooth-bore weapons with a calibre of 20 mm or more, other weapons or armament with a calibre exceeding 12.7 mm (calibre 0.50 inches), smoke launchers, projectile launchers and accessories, and specially designed components therefor |
| ML 3 | Ammunition and fuse setting devices, and specially designed components therefor |
| ML 4 | Bombs, torpedoes, rockets, missiles, other explosive devices and charges and related equipment and accessories, and their components |
| ML 5 | Fire control, surveillance and warning equipment, and related systems, test and alignment and countermeasure equipment, specially designed for military use, and specially designed components and accessories therefor |
| ML 6 | Ground vehicles and components |
| ML 7 | Chemical agents, toxic biological agents, "riot control agents", radioactive materials, related equipment, components and materials |
| ML 8 | "Energetic materials", and related substances |
| ML 9 | Vessels of war (surface or underwater), special naval equipment, accessories, components and other surface vessels |
| ML 10 | "Aircraft", "lighter-than-air vehicles", "Unmanned Aerial Vehicles" ("UAVs"), aero-engines and "aircraft" equipment, related equipment and components specially designed or modified for military use |
| ML 11 | Electronic equipment, "spacecraft" and components, not specified elsewhere on the EU Common Military List |
| ML 12 | High velocity kinetic energy weapon systems and related equipment, and specially designed components therefor |
| ML 13 | Armoured or protective equipment, constructions and components |
| ML 14 | "Specialised equipment for military training" or for simulating military scenarios, simulators specially designed for training in the use of any firearm or weapon specified by ML1 or ML2, and specially designed components and accessories therefor |
| ML 15 | Imaging or countermeasure equipment, specially designed for military use, and specially designed components and accessories therefor |
| ML 16 | Forgings, castings and other unfinished products, specially designed for items specified by ML1 toML4, ML6, ML9, ML10, ML12 or ML19 |
| ML 17 | Miscellaneous equipment, materials and "libraries", and specially designed components therefor |
| ML 18 | "Production" equipment, environmental test facilities and components |
| ML 19 | Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) systems, related or countermeasure equipment and test models, and specially designed components therefor |
| ML 20 | Cryogenic and "superconductive" equipment, and specially designed components and accessories therefor |
| ML 21 | “Software” |
| ML 22 | “Technology” |