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 the Tenth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in August–September 2022. Slovakia voted in favor of a key United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution promoting the convention in December 2022.

Slovakia has never used cluster munitions, but it 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 36 cluster munitions and 950 submunitions in 2022. 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 its Penal Code and various arms trafficking laws under national measures to enforce implementation of the convention.[1]

Slovakia submitted its initial Article 7 transparency report for the convention on 28 June 2016 and has provided annual updated reports since then, most recently in May 2023.[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 Oslo Signing Conference 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. Slovakia’s accession came after the preparation of an action plan for accession, mandated by a November 2008 decree.[4]

Slovakia participated as an observer in several meetings of the convention before it acceded.[5] Since then, it has attended every meeting of the convention, most recently the Tenth Meeting of States Parties in Geneva in August–September 2022, where it provided several statements.

In December 2022, Slovakia voted in favor of an important 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] In September 2022, Slovakia again expressed its concern over the use of cluster munitions in contemporary conflicts, including credible reports of use in Ukraine, particularly by Russian forces.[8]

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.[9]  

Slovakia has not elaborated its views on certain important issues relating to the convention’s interpretation and implementation, such as the prohibitions 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.[10]

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.[11]

In its initial Article 7 transparency report, provided in 2016, Slovakia formally confirmed that it no longer produces cluster munitions, and stated that ZVS Holding Company of Dubnica and Vahom retired the production line in 2010.[12] The company manufactured two types of ground-fired cluster munitions.[13] The Monitor previously listed another Slovakian company as producing cluster munitions in the past.[14]

Transfers

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

ZVS Holding produced 8,680 122mm AGAT rockets for sale to Türkiye and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 1998–2010, while 602 cluster munitions were produced for Slovakia’s Ministry of Defense in 1998–2001.[15]

In the past, Slovakia imported M26 cluster munition rockets from Germany.[16]

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 and are in the process of being destroyed.

Cluster munitions once stockpiled by Slovakia[17]

      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 and 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.”[18] In August 2022, Slovakia reiterated its commitment to destroy the stockpile “on time and in line with our stipulated destruction deadline.”[19]

As of the end of 2022, Slovakia had destroyed a total of 1,015 cluster munitions and 50,756 submunitions, representing 82% of its declared cluster munitions and 17% of submunitions.

Cluster munitions destroyed by Slovakia

*Before the convention entered into force for Slovakia.

Slovakia destroyed 36 cluster munitions and 950 submunitions in 2022.

Cluster munitions destroyed by Slovakia in 2022[20]

Slovakia has destroyed some of its stockpile by open detonation at the Novaky training area and the Kuchyna firing range. In May 2022, Slovakia said that the Support and Procurement Agency of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is supporting the process of destroying its remaining M26 cluster munition rockets.[21] In August 2022, Slovakia announced that a contract to destroy the remaining M26 cluster munition rockets has been concluded with a Norwegian ammunition disposal company, NAMMO NAD.[22]

Retention

Slovakia is not retaining any cluster munitions for research and training purposes.[23]

Initially, Slovakia retained six M26 rockets for the development of stockpile destruction techniques at the Zahorie Military Technical and Testing Institute, where it destroyed one M26 rocket in 2016.[24] The five other rockets and 3,220 M77 dual-purpose improved conventional munition (DPICM) submunitions were destroyed in 2020.[25]