France is continuing to block a new EU code of conduct on arms exports until member states give the green light to start selling weapons to China, despite MEPs and the 2006 Finnish EU presidency's efforts to revive the project.
The new legally-binding code - drafted in June 2005 - is designed to replace an existing voluntary code dating back to 1998, adding fresh clauses on control of arms brokers and shipment of weapons via third countries to tackle changes in the modern arms business....
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Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.