LUXEMBOURG, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- The threat presented by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction hasn't diminished for members of the European Union, the bloc said Monday.
The foreign affairs committee for the Council of Europe concluded member states faces a lingering threat from WMD and their delivery systems.
The council concluded member states need to strengthen their export controls and react more quickly to technological developments that make it easier for would-be assailants to find ways to design WMD.
The council said from Luxembourg new communication tools means the threat from WMD is taking on a new dimension in the digital age.
"The threat presented by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction ... has not diminished and presents a growing risk to the EU's security environment," the council said in a statement Monday
A December conference on a Middle East region free of weapons of mass destruction was canceled a month before it was set to begin in Geneva, Switzerland. The U.S. State Department said the conference was canceled "because of present conditions in the Middle East."
