New publication: “A reviewed W3H methodology”

Following the fourteenth and fifteenth meetings of the Chaudfontaine Group, the European Studies Unit is pleased to announce its new publication: “A reviewed W3H methodology”.

The need for a structured methodology to develop and review Strategic Trade Control (STC) systems emerged from the European Union’s experience implementing assistance projects under UN Security Council Resolution 1540 (2004).[1] While the 1540 Committee matrices help identify the core components of an STC system, they do not provide operational guidance on how to build or resource such systems in practice.[2]

A decade after the formulation of the initial “3WH methodology”,[3] evolving geopolitical dynamics and shifts in strategic trade policies have broadened the notion of security to include areas such as human security and the increasingly salient notion of economic security. These developments prompted the need to reassess and update the methodological foundations governing STC systems.

Drawing on lessons learned from its implementation and the evolution of the international geopolitical environment, the Chaudfontaine Group convened two dedicated sessions to systematically review the elements of the W3H methodology (Why, Who, What, How).

This document presents the new methodology and is intended to assist various stakeholders in the development, assessment, and continuous improvement of STC systems. This publication is a synopsis of the discussion of the fourteenth and fifteenth Chaudfontaine Group Meetings, which took place in Spa and Wanze (Belgium) from 24 to 26 November 2024 and from 1 to 3 June 2025, and were funded by the European Commission.

[1] European Union, Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Risk Mitigation, EU P2P Export Control Programme for Dual-use Goods. https://cbrn-risk-mitigation.network.europa.eu/eu-p2p-export-control-programme/dual-use-trade-control_en.

[2] United Nations, 1540 Committee, 1540 Matrices. https://www.un.org/en/sc/1540/national-implementation/1540-matrices.shtml.

[3] https://www.esu.ulg.ac.be/a-new-methodology-to-review-or-elaborate-a-trade-control-system-update/.