Summary

Slovakia acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 24 July 2015. Since becoming a State Party, Slovakia has participated in every meeting of the convention, most recently in May 2022. Slovakia voted in favor of a key United Nations (UN) resolution promoting the convention in December 2021.

Slovakia is not known to have used cluster munitions, but produced, imported, and exported them in the past. Slovakia is in the process of destroying its stockpile of 1,235 cluster munitions and 299,187 submunitions by January 2024. It destroyed 59 cluster munitions and 2,238 submunitions in 2021. Slovakia is not retaining any cluster munitions for research and training purposes.

Policy

The Slovak Republic acceded to the Convention on Cluster Munitions on 24 July 2015 and became a State Party on 1 January 2016.

Slovakia lists the Penal Code and various arms trafficking laws under relevant national measures to enforce its implementation of the convention.[1]

Slovakia submitted its initial Article 7 transparency report for the convention on 28 June 2016 and has provided updated annual reports since then, most recently in April 2022.[2]

Slovakia participated throughout the Oslo Process that created the Convention on Cluster Munitions and joined in the consensus adoption of the convention in Dublin in May 2008. Yet it participated only as an observer at the convention’s signing conference in Oslo in December 2008.[3]

Slovakia acceded to the convention after the National Council, within the Slovakian Parliament, adopted a resolution approving accession on 26 June 2015. An action plan for accession had been mandated by a November 2008 decree.[4]

Slovakia attended several meetings of the convention as an observer before it acceded.[5] It has attended every meeting of the convention since then, including the Second Review Conference held in November 2020 and September 2021. Slovakia attended the intersessional meetings in May 2022, where it provided an update on stockpile destruction.

In December 2021, Slovakia voted in favor of a key United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution that called on states outside the Convention on Cluster Munitions to “join as soon as possible.”[6] Slovakia has voted in favor of the annual UNGA resolution promoting the convention since it was first introduced in 2015.

In May 2022, Slovakia strongly condemned and expressed deep concern over Russia’s use of cluster munitions in Ukraine.[7] Slovakia has expressed concern at the use of cluster munitions in other parts of the world and has called on all actors to refrain from use.[8]

Slovakia has not elaborated its views on certain important issues relating to the convention’s interpretation and implementation, such as the prohibition on transit; on assistance during joint military operations with states not party that may use cluster munitions; on foreign stockpiling; and on investment in cluster munition production.

Slovakia is a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty. It is also party to the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW).

Use

Before acceding to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Slovakia stated several times that it has never used cluster munitions.[9]

Production

In January 2014, Slovakia said that it no longer produces cluster munitions and committed to no further production, having taken the decision in 2010 to no longer acquire cluster munitions.[10]

Slovakia’s initial Article 7 transparency report, provided in June 2016, formally confirmed that it no longer produces cluster munitions, and stated that ZVS Holding Company of Dubncia and Vahom retired the production line in 2010.[11] The company manufactured two types of ground-fired cluster munitions.[12] The Monitor previously listed another Slovakian company as producing cluster munitions in the past.[13]

Transfers

Slovakia exported cluster munitions until February 2010, and has imported them in the past.

ZVS Holding produced 8,680 122mm AGAT rockets for sale to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 1998–2010, while 602 cluster munitions were produced for Slovakia’s Ministry of Defense in 1998–2001.[14]

In the past, Slovakia imported M26 cluster munition rockets from Germany.[15]

Stockpiling

Slovakia once possessed a stockpile of 1,235 cluster munitions and 299,187 submunitions, as shown in the following table. All cluster munitions have been withdrawn from operational stocks.

Cluster munitions once stockpiled by Slovakia[16]

Note: DPICM=Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munition.

Stockpile destruction

Under Article 3 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, Slovakia is required to destroy all stockpiled cluster munitions under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but no later than 1 January 2024.

Slovakia has committed to destroy its stockpile by the deadline, “using its own capacities.”[17] In May 2022, Slovakia reiterated that it has “an ongoing plan and is doing its best to fulfil its Article 3 obligation” by the deadline.[18]

As of the end of 2021, Slovakia had destroyed 979 cluster munitions and 49,806 submunitions in total, representing 79% of its declared cluster munitions and 17% of declared submunitions.

Cluster munitions destroyed by Slovakia

Note: *Before the convention entered into force for Slovakia.

Slovakia destroyed 59 cluster munitions and 2,238 submunitions in 2021.

Cluster munitions destroyed by Slovakia in 2021[19]

Slovakia is destroying its stockpile by open detonation at the Novaky training area and the Kuchyna firing range. In May 2022, Slovakia said it remains on track to complete destruction of the seven types of cluster munitions that were in the process of being destroyed in 2021. Slovakia also stated that the Support and Procurement Agency of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will support the process of destroying its remaining M26 cluster munition rockets.[20]

Retention

Slovakia no longer retains any cluster munitions for research and training purposes.[21]

Initially, Slovakia had retained six M26 rockets for the development of stockpile destruction techniques at the Zahorie Military Technical and Testing Institute. It destroyed one M26 rocket in 2016.[22] The remaining five rockets and 3,220 M77 Dual-Purpose Improved Conventional Munition (DPICM) submunitions were destroyed in 2020.[23]