This entry has been drafted by a member of the APILS team on the basis of publicly available materials. Its content has been neither peer reviewed nor checked for accuracy by any government official.
Overview
In France, the Ministry of the Armed Forces has overhauled its internal procedures for reviewing the legality of weapons. Instructions were issued in 2019 to explain how they should be implemented.
The scope of Article 36 of the First Additional Protocol is interpreted broadly. Before any contractual or financial commitment is made, the Directorate General of Armament (DGA) and the Armed Forces Staff (EMA) carry out a legal review to determine whether the system has any functions that could be contrary to the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law or specific treaty prohibitions. The DGA and the EMA reserve the right to conduct a new review in the event of a change in legal or factual circumstances.
The legal review is thorough in the early stages, after which the DGA and EMA draw up a file to monitor the system throughout its development. The DAJ is involved in this process but limits its involvement to cases of serious doubt.
References
Key documents
- Instruction ministérielle relative à l’examen de licéité des nouvelles armes et des nouveaux moyens et méthodes de guerre, en application de l’article 36 du Protocole I aux Conventions de Genève du 12 août 1949
[Ministerial Directive on the legal review of new weapons, means and methods of warfare, pursuant to Article 36 of the 1977 First Additional Protocol of the 1949 Geneva Conventions]
Ministerial Directive No. 6255/ARM/CAB (31 October 2019) - Instruction sur le déroulement des opérations d’armement
[Ministerial Directive on armament procurement projects]
Ministerial Directive No. 1618/ARM/CAB (15 February 2019) - Legal Affairs Directorate, Joint Defence Staff, Ministry for Armed Forces
Manuel de droit des opérations militaires
[Manual of the Law of Military Operations]
(2022) ¶ 5.6
Further resources
- Commission de la défense nationale et des forces armées, Assemblée Nationale, Rapport d’information déposé en application de l’article 145 du Règlement par la commission de la défense nationale et des forces armées en conclusion des travaux d’une mission d’information sur les systèmes d’armes létaux autonomes (22 July 2020) 46–47
