On 27 February 2026, the General Assembly of the European Association of the Civil Commerce of Weapons (AECAC) took place in Nuremberg. Representatives of member associations from several European countries exchanged views on current political developments and key issues affecting the civilian firearms trade in Europe.
A special item on the agenda of the public session was an address by Stefan Köhler, Member of the European Parliament. He provided an overview of current political developments at EU level, including the evaluation of the EU Firearms Directive and the draft directive presented by the European Commission the day before the assembly, entitled “on combating firearms trafficking and other firearms-related offences.” He also emphasized the importance of the sector.
Stefan Köhler
Dr. David Scallan, Secretary General of the European hunting association FACE, reported on the current state of discussions regarding a possible ban on lead in ammunition. According to the most recent draft of the European Commission, lead-containing rifle ammunition for hunting and sport shooting would be exempt from a ban, while potential restrictions are currently focused on shotgun ammunition. European associations continue to work together to advocate for practical and proportionate regulations.
Dr. David Scallan
Over the past year, AECAC’s political activities have focused in particular on discussions with members of the European Parliament and the European Commission, as well as on the evaluation of the EU Firearms Directive. The association is also examining the European Commission’s new draft directive on combating illicit firearms trafficking in order to assess potential implications for the legal firearms trade at an early stage.
During the regular elections, Michael Blendinger (Germany) was confirmed as President and Angelos Pitsillides (Cyprus) as Vice-President for a further three-year term. Palle Skov Hansen (Denmark) was re-elected to the Executive Committee, while Pietro Pietrafesa (Italy) succeeds George Kyrgias as a member of the Executive Committee.
AECAC expressed its sincere thanks to George Kyrgias (Greece) for his many years of service on the Executive Committee.
Michael Blendinger