Is the Wassenaar Arrangement a law?

No. It is a politically binding export control regime in which the participating states agree control lists and exchange information. Legal effect arises only once a state carries those lists into its own law, in Europe through the dual-use regulation and in Germany through the export list as well.

Which lists does the arrangement maintain?

Two: the Munitions List for military items and the List of Dual-Use Goods and Technologies for items usable for civil and military purposes. The dual-use list is tiered, with a basic list set against particularly sensitive entries. Both are updated regularly, so classifications can change over time.

How do the arrangement and the EU dual-use regulation relate?

Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2021/821 brings internationally agreed lists together into one European control list, and the Wassenaar Arrangement is one of its sources. In Germany the military part is carried by the export list, which also holds nationally listed items.

Export control · Framework

The Wassenaar Arrangement

Q: Is there a certification under the Wassenaar Arrangement?

No, the arrangement provides for no such certification. What carries weight instead is the classification of the individual item against the wording of the list entry, together with the license the exporting state has granted for the particular delivery to the particular recipient.

Q: What does the manufacturer state about exporting dual-use items?

Its site says, in its own words: “We ensure all parachutes and technical textiles classified as dual-use are exported under full Wassenaar compliance for smooth international delivery.” That is a statement by the manufacturer about its own exports and does not replace the classification of a particular system.

The Wassenaar Arrangement puts no export rule directly into force. It supplies the lists that the participating states feed into their national export law.

Row of finished blue units in clear bags on a work table, each carrying a completed inspection label

What the arrangement is

The Wassenaar Arrangement is an export control regime for conventional arms and for dual-use goods and technologies. Its participating states agree control lists among themselves and exchange information on exports and on denials.

The arrangement is politically binding rather than directly applicable law. It takes effect once a participating state carries its lists into its own law — in Europe through the dual-use regulation, in Germany through the export list as well.

The two lists

The arrangement maintains two lists. The Munitions List covers military items, the List of Dual-Use Goods and Technologies covers items usable for civil and military purposes alike. The dual-use list is tiered: a basic list is set against particularly sensitive entries and a most sensitive tier held to stricter review.

Both lists are updated. An amendment does not only reach new projects: an item previously unlisted can become subject to licensing after a list change, and the reverse holds as well.

How the lists become European law

Annex I to Regulation (EU) 2021/821 brings the internationally agreed lists together into one European control list; the Wassenaar Arrangement is one of its sources. The German export list carries the military part and adds nationally listed items.

For a buyer in Europe this means the question is not whether a supplier belongs to the arrangement, but which list entry a particular item falls under and which license the exporting state requires for it.

Where parachutes and technical textiles are touched

Whether a textile recovery or protection system is listed follows from its design: from material, performance data, deployment and the system it is built into. The same canopy shape can be unlisted in a sport application and covered in a military design.

Classification is therefore not a property of a product family. It is the result of testing the individual item against the wording of the list entry.

The manufacturer statement

The manufacturer makes a statement on its own site about the export of dual-use items. In the words of the manufacturer: “We ensure all parachutes and technical textiles classified as dual-use are exported under full Wassenaar compliance for smooth international delivery.” On its defense and security page the manufacturer further lists, among the reasons customers choose it: “Fully compliant with Wassenaar Arrangement export controls”.

That is a statement by the manufacturer about its own exports, reproduced in the wording of its page. It does not replace a classification: which list entry a particular system falls under, and which license a particular delivery requires, follows from the control list and from the review of the individual case.

What this means for procurement in Europe

Supplier questionnaires ask about the arrangement often. The question can only be answered reliably for a particular product — through the classification of the item and the license of the exporting state. There is no certificate of adherence to the arrangement, because the arrangement provides for no certification.

What helps instead is the information a procedure actually uses: classification of the item, exporting state, recipient, end use, and whether a transfer to third parties is foreseen.

Source: apcodefense.com (APCO Aviation), as of 25 September 2026.