On 28 September 2016, the European Commission released a proposal for a modernisation of the EU export control system. The proposal goes far beyond the existing language of the Wassenaar Agreement, proposing an EU autonomous list, human rights catch-alls, and other innovative approaches to implementing export controls.

While the EU pushes ahead, there is an open question on how other Wassenaar member states and countries outside the Wassenaar Arrangement will implement their own export controls. Will they follow the EU in pushing forward? Will they attempt to strengthen Wassenaar? Will they go in their own direction or change nothing and continue with business as usual?

This event, which happened on 16.11.2017, discussed different approaches to export controls around the world, as well as touched on the effects that these approaches have.