Czechia
Czechia boycotted the negotiations on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) in 2017 and has consistently voted against the annual UN General Assembly resolutions on the Treaty, including in 2024. Czechia may sign and ratify or accede the TPNW, but will have to make changes to its policies and practices to become compliant.
TPNW Status
| Key weapons of mass destruction treaties | ||
|---|---|---|
| NUCLEAR WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the TPNW | No | |
| Party to the NPT | Yes (Acceded 1993) | |
| Ratified the CTBT | Yes (Ratified 1997) | |
| Party to an NWFZ | No | |
| CSA with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2009) | |
| AP with the IAEA | Yes (In force 2009) | |
| BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL WEAPONS | ||
| Party to the BWC | Yes (Acceded 1993) | |
| Party to the CWC | Yes (Ratified 1996) | |
| TPNW Art. 1(1) prohibitions: Compatibility in 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| (a) | Develop, produce, manufacture, acquire | Compatible |
| Possess or stockpile | Compatible | |
| Test | Compatible | |
| (b) | Transfer | Compatible |
| (c) | Receive transfer or control | Compatible |
| (d) | Use | Compatible |
| Threaten to use | Compatible | |
| (e) | Assist, encourage or induce | Non-compatible |
| (f) | Seek or receive assistance | Compatible |
| (g) | Allow stationing, installation, deployment | Compatible |
| TPNW voting and participation | |
|---|---|
| UNGA resolution on TPNW (latest vote) | Voted no (2024) |
| Participated in 2MSP (2023) | No |
| Participated in 1MSP (2022) | No |
| Average MSP delegation size (% women) | N/A |
| Adoption of TPNW (7 July 2017) | N/A |
| Participated in TPNW negotiations (2017) | No |
| Negotiation mandate (A/RES/71/258) | Voted no |
| Fissile material | |
|---|---|
| Nuclear facilities | Yes |
| Fissile material production | No |
| HEU stocks | Cleared |
| Plutonium stocks | No |
| SQP with the IAEA | No |
Latest developments
Czechia contributes to NATO’s Conventional Support to Nuclear Operations (CSNO) mission and maintains JAS-39 aircraft for this purpose. It participated in the alliance’s annual nuclear strike exercise, known as Steadfast Noon, in October 2024.1
At the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) Preparatory Committee session in July 2024, Czechia warned that Russia’s ‘irresponsible nuclear rhetoric and escalatory steps’ and China’s ‘massive nuclear build-up’ risk inspiring other countries ‘to acquire nuclear weapons, with a destructive impact on the NPT and the whole non-proliferation architecture’.2
In the First Committee of the UN General Assembly in October 2024, Czechia said that its position on the TPNW ‘remains unchanged’, describing the Treaty as ‘fundamentally misconceived and at odds with the existing non-proliferation architecture’. ‘It risks undermining the NPT. And it does not take into account the current security environment,’ it said. It also stated: ‘For countries like Czechia, membership in NATO and its extended nuclear deterrence remain the ultimate bulwark against Russia’s aggressive intent. Russia’s actions have unfortunately rolled back efforts in nuclear disarmament by decades.’3
Recommendations
-
Czechia should renounce the possession and potential use of nuclear weapons on its behalf, and ensure that nuclear weapons do not have a role in its defence posture.
-
Czechia should comply with its existing obligation under Article VI of the NPT and pursue negotiations in good faith on nuclear disarmament.
-
Czechia should urgently adhere to the TPNW. Until it is in a position to do so, it should welcome the TPNW as a valuable component in the global disarmament and non-proliferation architecture, work with the Treaty's states parties on practical steps towards disarmament, and attend the meetings of states parties as an observer.