The Agreement on Sub-Regional Arms Control (Dayton Peace Agreement, Annex 1B – Article IV)

The Sub-Regional Arms Control Agreement, which has become one of the key mechanisms for preserving and promoting security and stability in the region, was signed 25 years ago, on June 14, 1996. in Florence...

The Sub-Regional Arms Control Agreement, which has become one of the key mechanisms for preserving and promoting security and stability in the region, was signed 25 years ago, on June 14, 1996. in Florence. The Agreement is part of the military dimension of the Dayton Agreement, based on Annex 1B, Article IV of Dayton. It has established an arms control regime aimed at reducing the number of weapons to the level agreed between the Republic of Croatia, the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Bosnia and Herzegovina with its two entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska. The Agreement contains specific numerical limits for five categories of weapons (battle tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery of 75 mm caliber and more, combat aircraft and attack helicopters), provisions on a surveillance mechanism through inspection, on information exchange and a verification regime. Since 2006, the States Parties to the Agreement are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Serbia.

During the 25 years of the Agreement’s implementation, 10,292 weapons have been destroyed and 476 missions, 776 inspections and 129 reduction inspections have been conducted. The number of inspection facilities and the number of inspection quotas have been reduced. In addition to this, almost 1,300 assistants and 140 guest observers from 29 OSCE Member States have participated in the inspections. Due to the COVID 19 crisis, 2020 was the first year in which there were no inspections by the States Parties to the Agreement. However, a number of video meetings  were held with the aim of reaching agreement on further action and maintaining the achieved level of transparency.

The Agreement on Sub-Regional Arms Control has been recognized as one of the few mechanisms that has continuously and consistently been implemented since its signing.

It has made a significant contribution to stability and predictability in Southeast Europe. The lessons learned in its implementation over a quarter of a century can be a useful contribution to the debate on the future of conventional arms control in Europe.

The 25th anniversary celebration ceremony will be held on June 14, 2021 in VTC format. It will include the opening of a virtual photo-exhibition dedicated to the process of the Agreement’s implementation; a formal session of the Sub-Regional Consultative Commission, which is also an opportunity to reward distinguished individuals and organizations for their contribution to the implementation of the Agreement in the past 25 years; and the Arms Control Symposium organized by RACVIAC and dealing with the Agreement on Sub-Regional Arms Control and Security in the OSCE area.

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