State dossier
France
FRA · FRANCE · board row present
What does this state want?
Coded LBI-BAN: Supports a legally binding instrument that includes prohibitions.
LBI-BAN since 2024-05-24, EXPLICIT
Supports a legally binding instrument that includes prohibitions.
France's submission for the Secretary-General's report states its preferred outcome plainly: a future instrument, possibly an Additional Protocol to the CCW, structured on a two-tier approach that prohibits fully autonomous systems and regulates partially autonomous ones. The prohibition is category-scoped (fully autonomous only), which this coding's scope note carries so France is not misread as supporting a blanket ban.
France states in its UN submission that it supports negotiating and adopting a new CCW Additional Protocol on LAWS.
France supports the negotiation and adoption of an Additional Protocol to the CCW
Resolution 78/241 Lethal autonomous weapons systems: Submission of France, 2024-05-24 source
France's preferred instrument follows a two-tier prohibit-and-regulate structure.
structuring this future instrument — which could take the form of an Additional Protocol to the CCW
Resolution 78/241 Lethal autonomous weapons systems: Submission of France, 2024-05-24 source
The instrument France describes follows the two-tier prohibit-and-regulate structure.
according to a two-tier approach
Resolution 78/241 Lethal autonomous weapons systems: Submission of France, 2024-05-24 source
France attached its own draft instrument as an annex to the submission.
Detailed proposal for such an instrument can be found in Annex of the present submission
Resolution 78/241 Lethal autonomous weapons systems: Submission of France, 2024-05-24 source
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How did it vote?
Yes on all three UN votes on autonomous weapons.
Hover a legend chip to light those votes · each resolution links to its record
What has it signed?
Membership is fact, not opposition.
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When is it on the record?
The engagement cadence, dated.
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What has it written down at home?
National doctrine.
- 2021-04-29 · Avis sur l'intégration de l'autonomie dans les systèmes d'armes létaux (Defence Ethics Committee opinion on autonomy in lethal weapon systems)core doctrine, filled marker · source
Avis sur l'intégration de l'autonomie dans les systèmes d'armes létaux (Defence Ethics Committee opinion on autonomy in lethal weapon systems)
Opinion of the Comité d'éthique de la défense (Ministère des Armées), dated 29 April 2021 on its face; the committee was seized by the Minister on 10 January 2020. Quotes below are from the Ministry's OFFICIAL ENGLISH version (translation: official). RULED CORE 2026-07-19: core = the opinion plus the government's adopting and citing statements (a 2025 parliamentary answer, QE 8402, cites it as the standing national reference framework). Formally an advisory opinion; in practice the government's standing framework. The opinion's own architecture is six guiding principles and 25 guidelines; it extends the refusal beyond use to manufacturing and export (P3), and traces the renunciation to the 5 April 2019 Saclay declaration (footnote 10). The URL carries a double .pdf extension in the ministry's own href; that is intentional, not a typo.
The French government has renounced the use of lethal autonomous weapon systems, and the Defence Ethics Committee endorsed that decision.
The French government has declared that it renounces the use of LAWS.
Avis sur l'integration de l'autonomie dans les systemes d'armes letaux (Opinion on integrating autonomy into lethal weapon systems), 2021-04-29 source
The Committee judged the renunciation unquestionably sound in light of the principles governing the French armed forces.
The Committee regards this decision as unquestionably sound
Avis sur l'integration de l'autonomie dans les systemes d'armes letaux (Opinion on integrating autonomy into lethal weapon systems), 2021-04-29 source
The refusal extends beyond use to the manufacturing and export of fully autonomous lethal systems.
Such use, as well as manufacturing and exporting, should be refused.
Avis sur l'integration de l'autonomie dans les systemes d'armes letaux (Opinion on integrating autonomy into lethal weapon systems), 2021-04-29 source
Partially autonomous systems are acceptable only if all five guarantees (the "5 Cs" - command, risk control, compliance, competence, confidence) are met.
The design and implementation of PALWS should therefore only be contemplated if all the guarantees of their correct use are met
Avis sur l'integration de l'autonomie dans les systemes d'armes letaux (Opinion on integrating autonomy into lethal weapon systems), 2021-04-29 source
The record
The documents on file.
Each mark opens its source