Welcome to the Homepage of the Zangger Committee!

Our Committee, named after its first Chairman Prof. Claude Zangger, was formed following the coming into force of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), to serve as the "faithful interpreter" of its Article III, paragraph 2, to harmonize the interpretation of nuclear export control policies for NPT Parties.

The Committee has been focussing on what is meant in Article III.2 of the Treaty by "especially designed or prepared equipment or material for the processing, use or production of special fissionable material." The Zangger Committee maintains a Trigger List (triggering safeguards as a condition of supply) of nuclear-related strategic goods to assist NPT Parties in identifying equipment and materials subject to export controls.

Today the Zangger Committee has 36 members including all the nuclear weapon States. Its Trigger List includes illustrative examples of equipment and materials judged to be within the understandings of the Committee. The Trigger List and the Zangger Committee's understandings are published by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the INFCIRC/209 series.

The first Chairman of the Committee, Dr. Claude Zangger of Switzerland, was succeded by Mr. Ilkka Mäkipentti of Finland and Dr. Fritz W. Schmidt of Austria.

Current Chairman, since 1 August 2006, is Mr. Pavel Klucký of the Czech Republic.