Catch all in the Netherlands

In November 2007 the Dutch government declared efforts to come to adoption of a European catch all policy was not needed, because “the idea of catch-all is already implemented in all EU member states participating in the Australia Group, the Missile Controle Regime, the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the Wassenaar Arrangement and in Regulation EC/1334/2000 to set-up a Community regime for the control of exports of dual-use each containing a catch-all measurement.”(1) The Catch-all order is based on Article 4 of this regulation.(2) It gives the government the possibility to control items not on the control lists if there are reasons to do so in circumstances as determined in article 4 of the Dual-use regulation. Since the imposition of a catch-all provision may lead to diminished legal certainty, the government uses its power to impose a mandatory license requirement with great prudence and caution. 

It's use is specified in the User Guide for Export Control on Strategic Goods and Services and this states the catch all can be imposed on goods that are not subject to mandatory licensing, but may be intended for: 

* the development of weapons of mass destruction or missiles capable of delivering such weapons;

* may be intended for goods on the EU list of military goods that have been exported to the country of end-use without the proper license required (see article 4, paragraph 3, of the Dual-use regulation);

* for any of the uses referred to above, the exporter is aware of, he must notify the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In such a case the exporter will be duly notified by MFA that a license is required on the export concerned; or

* if the purchasing country or country of destination is subject to an arms embargo of the EU, UN or OSCE and the items may be intended, in their entirety or in part, for a military end-use (see article 4, paragraph 2, of the Dual-use regulation).

In such cases the exporter will be informed by an individual decision. 

The catch all can also be used for reasons of public safety and human rights consideration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, based on a Ministerial Regulation (Verordening, artikel 8 juncto Bsg, artikel 4), can issue a ban license requirement on the export of dual-use goods not appearing in Annex I of the Dual-use regulation (see article Article 8 of the Dual-use regulation).(3) 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) will notify the exporter that a license is required on the concerned export. Violation of such a catch will be penalised according to the Wet Economische Delicten [Law on Economic Offences]. For the BES-island there is a specific Customs Law.(5) 

In the so-called carré-overleg, every two months among and policy departments, ongoing developments are discussed, like catch all cases. But it limits itself to the proliferation of WMD.(6) The Catch all also has the function to gain time to get better information and consider if the export is or is not in line with the above mentioned considerations more thoroughly.(7) 

Although the catch all can be used for and military end use in countries under an arms embargo in the Netherlands is mainly used for dual use. Article 4a of the Decision Strategic Goods provides the Minister with the powers to prohibit extra-community transit of dual use products and trans community transfer of dual use for WMD and military applications,(8) based on the EU Regulation provision given for this catch all policy.(9)

That the catch is mainly used on dual use is to be expected, because as Anna Werter explained the inclusion of it in the control regimes on regimes controling WMD-weapons and the Missile Regime were necessary in order to keep export controls up to date with rapid technological developments and with new intelligence about possible military applications.(10) Dennis Krepp of the National Security and Technology Transfer Controls of the U.S. Department of Commerce statedd in 2012 that the catch-all clauses mainly exist to to be able to control exports that contribute to programs of concern.(11) Also for the Dutch government catch-all is focussed on dual-use. The Dutch government recently tried to expand the catch all in the frame work of EC/428/2009 to ICT related technology which can be used for human rights violations and has encouraged this in 2014 in the EU fora.(12)

The Catch all reported
 
The use of the catch-all is the most under-reported aspects of arms trade policy. When searching the official Dutch website rechtspraak.nl [justice.nl] on catch-all several cases verdicts and hearings are mentioned. But they have no connection with weapon/military related exports or point to the same case, the exports by Slebos Research to Pakistan in connection with the nuclear programs of his study friend Abdul Qadeer Khan.(13) In the end Slebos was in fact not punished. He got a suspended fine of € 85.000, but with a probation of only one day only to show the proven crime is worthy of condemnation and for preventive reasons.(14) After more as four years the complicated catch-all and dual use case came to an sloppy end. In the annual reports on military exports, the Netherlands mentioned catch all denials only in 2009: civil aircraft parts and civil camouflage paint to Iran.(15) But since that time the term catch all is mentioned only once in the 2014 report in connection to improved catch all use in the framework of the Australia group.(16) The catch all was also part of the annual report of the General (AIVD) and Military (MIVD) Intelligence and Secret Service reporting, they provided information to the Ministry of Economics, Agriculture and Inovation (now Ministry of Economics) leading to several cases of enforcing catch all cases.(17)

The Catch alls are not exchanged among the member states, however one third of the denials are connected to catch alls according a 2009 evaluation report of Dutch arms export policy.(18) In the same year however the Minister of Economics Van Ardenne wrote to the parliament that European exchange on catch all cases is not an established policy, but that exchange of information on exports to Iran are more extensively shared and evaluated among EU Member States.(19) Most detailed Dutch information is a table provided in December 2008 on catch alls to countries under embargo or are potentially dangerous proliferation destinations.(20)

Datum	Product	Land van bestemming	Vergunning aangevraagd	Vergunning verleend	Opmerkingen
10/09/2008	Wetenschappelijke tijdschriften	Iran	Ja, 20 stuks	Ja, 11 stuks
19/08/2008	Röntgen diffractie apparatuur (onderdelen voor)	Iran	Nee
29/07/2008	Rotorbladen	Iran	Nee
12/06/2008	Aluminium buizen	Iran en Irak	Nee
21/05/2008	Ringen	Iran			Ingetrokken
25/04/2008	Werktuigmachines (onderdelen voor)	Iran	Nee
01/04/2008	Uranium analyse apparatuur	Iran	Nee
28/03/2008	Smeermiddel	Iran	Ja	Ja
27/03/2008	Onderhoudsapparatuur	Iran	Ja	Nee
25/03/2008	Vliegtuigonderdelen	Iran	Nee
26/02/2008	Vliegtuigonderdelen	Iran	Nee
13/02/2008	Filters voor microdeeltjes (HEPA)	Iran	Ja	Ja
29/01/2008	Duikapparatuur en toebehoren	Iran	Ja	Nee
16/01/2008	Gaschromatrograaf	Iran	Ja	Nee
02/01/2008	Nikkellegeringen	Iran	Nee
30/11/2007	Staal gelegeerd met chroom en molybdeen	Iran	Nee
30/11/2007	Reinigingsmiddel	Iran	Nee
29/08/2007	Roestvrijstalen staven	Iran	Nee
28/08/2007	Software	Iran	Nee
30/08/2007	Warmte-behandelingsoven	Iran	Nee
20/08/2007	Plasmaspuitapparatuur	Iran	Ja	Nee
02/08/2007	Fotospectrometer	Iran	Nee
29/01/2007	Vliegtuigonderdelen	Iran	Ja, 216 stuks	Ja, 152 stuks	Herzien
13/11/2006	Grondverf	Iran	Nee
05/10/2006	Vliegtuigonderdelen	Iran			Ingetrokken
28/09/2006	Vliegtuigonderdelen	Iran			Ingetrokken
Source: Vaste commissie voor Economische Zaken, List of questions and answers. Published December 5, 2008-2009, 22054, no. 143, Tweede Kamer 2008-2009, question 2.

Recent cases 

One of the more recent cases deals with the deliverance in 2003 of glycol (MEG) from the Netherlands to Syria. The Netherlands was warned by the US during a conversation with employees of the Ministries of Foreign and Economic Affairs at the 7th of August 2003 that the MEG was intended for the Syrian missile program. Belgium customs stopped the glycol in the harbour of Antwerp and the Netherlands was asked by the US to assist in preventing the export to sail. However this was juridically impossible, because a treaty between the Netherlands and Belgium of 1842 prohibited limitations on consignments from Antwerp via De Schelde to the North Sea. The Belgium authorities were also juridically hampered because the goods where not on the dual-use list and because it was a Dutch export they were not authorised to stop it by a catch all. This hole was relatively fast repaired having glycol on a Dutch National dual use Regulation.(21) A relatively fast solution to prevent further exports.

In 2015 German de-militarised army trucks were exported to Sudan (see also below). Members of Parliament Raymond Knops (CDA) and Sjoerd Sjoerdsma both asked questions on the issue. Knops asked if agreements with industry and trade on a small number of sensitive destinations (like Syria, North-Korea, Sudan, Myanmar and Iran) to prevent the export of potentially sensitive, non-strategic goods, military used at its destination. He asked if in this kind of agreement, without large administrative burdens, the catch-all could be used. The answer on use of the catch-all was given to Sjoerdsma: “a catch all can only be enforced if the (civil) goods which are not listed on the EU military list, but get an military use in a country under an arms embargo. Military end use is only the case when the (civil) goods are used for the development, production or overhaul of goods on the EU military list,” according to Minister Ploumen of Trade and Development Aid answered. In this case the Netherlands considers the trucks as civil and thus not under the catch all.(22)

(unpublished May 2016) 

Footnotes:

1. Van Velzen, K, Questions to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Justice and secretary of Economic Affairs on the deliverance of strategic goods to Pakistan of October 9, 2007. Published October 9, 2007, 2007-2008. Answered by Minister of Foreign Affairs Verhagen, M.J.M. and the Secretary of Economics Heemskerk, F., also on behalve of the Minister of Justice. Received November 7, 2007. Published March 17, 2008. 2007-2008, question 1601.
2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Handboek Strategische Goederen en Diensten, April 2016, p. 16.
3. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Handboek Strategische Goederen en Diensten, April 2016, p. 16; and Handboek Veiligheid, Gezondheid, Economie en Milieu (VGEM [Security, Health, Economy and Environment]); chapter 5 on Dual-use goods on the web site of the tax authorities (http://www.belastingdienst.nl/bibliotheek/handboeken/html/boeken/HVGEM/strategische_goederen-goederen_voor_tweeerlei_gebruik_dual_use_.html)
4. Van Velzen, K, Questions to the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Justice and secretary of Economic Affairs on the deliverance of strategic goods to Pakistan of October 9, 2007. Published October 9, 2007, 2007-2008. Answered by Minister of Foreign Affairs Verhagen, M.J.M. and the Secretary of Economics Heemskerk, F., also on behalve of the Minister of Justice. Received November 7, 2007. Published March 17, 2008. 2007-2008, question 1601.
5. Besluit van 23 december 2010 tot vaststelling van het Uitvoeringsbesluit Douane- en Accijnswet BES (Uitvoeringsbesluit Douane- en Accijnswet BES) Article 2.3. This article regulates the licensing for export. Is connected to agreements in which the Netherlands is a party. The regulation is similar to the Dutch export regulation. Also the BES islands may use a so-called catch-all for reasons of public security or on human rights considerations.
6. This so-called carréoverleg is mentioned in Inspectie Ontwikkelingssamenwerking en report Beleidsevaluatie, Beleidsdoorlichting van het Nederlandse exportcontrole- en wapenexportbeleid, IOB Evaluaties, no. 325, October 2009. Published by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, p. 52; and Doorvoer van strategische goederen; Het wettelijk kader en de bestuurlijke praktijk in het Vlaamse Gewest en de naburige stelsels Kathleen Van Heuverswyn, i.s.m. Nils Duquet, Brussel, 6 augustus 2013 ( http://www.vlaamsvredesinstituut.eu/sites/vlaamsvredesinstituut.eu/files/files/reports/rapport_doorvoer_van_strategische_goederen.pdf
7. Handboek Veiligheid, Gezondheid, Economie en Milieu (VGEM [Security, Health, Economy and Environment]); chapter 5.4.3 Catch-all regulation on exports on the web site of the tax authorities (http://www.belastingdienst.nl/bibliotheek/handboeken/html/boeken/HVGEM/strategische_goederen-goederen_voor_tweeerlei_gebruik_dual_use_.html)
8. See: Article 4a Besluit strategische goederen (valid April 1, 2015 until present).
9. Article 4(6) COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 428/2009 of 5  May 2009 setting up a Community regime for the control of exports, transfer, brokering and transit of dual-use items.
10. Anna Werter, Enforcing European Union Law enforcing on exports of dual-use goods, SIPRI Research Report no. 24, Oxford University Press, 2009, p. 57.
11. Mr. Dennis Krepp Office of National Security and Technology Transfer Controls U.S. Department of Commerce, Powerpoint: Implementing Catch All Controls A Risk Assessment-based Approach Toward Nonproliferation, March 2012 (http://www.state.gov/strategictrade/documents/organization/190331.pdf, visited May 3, 2016)
12. Algemene commissie voor Buitenlandse Handel en Ontwikkelingssamenwerking. List of questions and answers of February 11, 2016, 2015-2016, published February 12, no. 270, 22 054, question 42. Staatssecretaris Bleker van Economische Zaken, Landbouw en Innovatie during Parliamentary debate stated the same on January 2012, Tweede Kamer, vergaderjaar 2011–2012, 22 054, nr. 190 , p. 15 kst-22054-190.
13. See http://uitspraken.rechtspraak.nl/ e.g. this one http://deeplink.rechtspraak.nl/uitspraak?id=ECLI:NL:RBALK:2005:AU8250 and search for “catch-all.” For an overview of the operations by Slebos see, Frank Slijper, Project Butter Factory; Henk Slebos and the A.Q. Khan nuclear network, Transnational Institute in association with Campagne tegen Wapenhandel, Amsterdam, September 2007.
14. http://deeplink.rechtspraak.nl/uitspraak?id=ECLI:NL:GHAMS:2009:BH1775
15. Iran was a priority at the time, see 21501-02-961 Minister of Economic Affairs Van Ardenne-van der Hoeven, Raad Algemene Zaken en Raad Buitenlandse Zaken, Den Haag, 21 april 2010 Tweede Kamer 2009-2010.
16. Wapenexportbeleidsraporten 2004-214 searched for catch all, only two catches. Annual Report Arms Export Policy 2014 (in Dutch), p. 14.
17. Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties, Annual report 2010 of Algemene Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst, april 2011, p. 30. blg-109155; and Ministry of Defence Annual Report Arms Export Policy 2010 Militaire Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst (Annual report) MIVD 2010 April 2011, p. 41.blg-111454.
18. Inspectie Ontwikkelingssamenwerking en report Beleidsevaluatie, Beleidsdoorlichting van het Nederlandse exportcontrole- en wapenexportbeleid, IOB Evaluaties, no. 325, October 2009. Published by Ministry of Foreign Affairs, p. 82.
19. Minister of Economic Affairs Van Ardenne-van der Hoeven, M.J.A., Letter Council General and Foreign Affairs, April 21, 2010. Published April 23, 2010, 2009-2010, 21501-02 no. 961.
    
20. Vaste commissie voor Economische Zaken, List of questions and answers. Published December 5, 2008-2009, 22054, no. 143, Tweede Kamer 2008-2009, question 2.
    
21. Algemene commissie voor Buitenlandse Handel en Ontwikkelingssamenwerking en de vaste commissie voor Buitenlandse Zaken, debate on Initiatiefnota van de leden Sjoerdsma en Servaes: «Wapens en Principes, Ambities voor een geloofwaardig en geharmoniseerd wapenexportbeleid in Europa». Published on 16 september 2015, 2015-2016, 34103 no. 6; and The algemene commissie voor Buitenlandse Handel en Ontwikkelingssamenwerking, List of questions and answers. Published June 20, 2014, 2013-2014, 22054, No. 246.
22. Sjoerdsma, S., Question to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Development Aid on trucks to Sudan, sent June 26 2015 and answered by Minister Ploumen September 2, 2015 2014-2015 (3296); Knops, R., additional questions on same issue to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Development Aid, sent July 1, 2015 and answered by Minister Ploumen September 2 2015 2014-2015 (3295).