The European Commission announced this Friday the opening of an infringement procedure against Spain, Germany, and Latvia for not having correctly adopted the community legislation on firearms into their legal systems.
Weapons seized in a police operation. EFE/Carlos Barba
Brussels indicated that it has sent letters of formal notice, the first step in the infringement procedure, to the three countries, which now have two months to respond and rectify the identified deficiencies.
If a satisfactory response is not received, the European Commission could move to the next phase of the procedure, which consists of sending a reasoned opinion, the Commission indicated in a statement.
The file initiated by Brussels refers to the incorrect transposition of the Firearms Directive 2021/555, which regulates the control of the acquisition and possession of firearms and provides common rules to harmonize national legislations, with the aim of improving security, facilitating legal trade, and simplifying procedures for users such as hunters and sport shooters.
It is a regulation that establishes “high standards of security and protection against criminal acts and the illicit trafficking of firearms,” Brussels pointed out.
Regarding Germany, the Commission specified that it has also not correctly transposed certain provisions of Directive 2019/68 on the marking of firearms, nor of Directive 2019/69 on alarm and signaling weapons (which only fire blank or irritant ammunition).
The first of these establishes rules on the marking of firearms to increase their traceability and facilitate the safe transfer and legal trade of firearms and essential components between countries, while the second sets technical specifications for alarm and signaling weapons to prevent their illegal conversion into lethal firearms. (November 21)