The Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production and Stockpiling of Bacteriological (Biological) and Toxin Weapons and on Their Destruction - the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) - opened for signature on 10 April 1972 and entered into force on 26 March 1975.

As of March 2008, 161 states have ratified or acceded to the BTWC.

Thirty-four states, however, still need to become party to the BTWC:

• 14 states signed the convention between the dates of its opening for signature and its entry into force, but have yet to ratified it;
  
• 20 states have neither signed nor acceded to the BTWC.

Over the past years the states party to the BTWC have stepped up the efforts to move closer to full adherence to the convention. In the light of growing concerns that advances in biology and biotechnology might make biological weapons (BW) a more attractive military tool or enable terrorists and criminals to cause large-scale human suffering or widespread economic damage, universalisation is seen as an important way to strengthen the norm against the weaponisation of disease. In addition, being party to the BTWC obliges states to adopt measures to transpose the treaty prohibitions and obligations into national laws and regulations so that they also become binding on natural and legal persons. National laws and regulations enable states parties to take preventive measures against  and criminalise the misuse of biology and biotechnology for terrorist or criminal purposes.

Universalisation of the BTWC in the EU Joint Action

One of the two pillars of the EU Joint Action in support of the BTWC seeks to promote the universalisation of the convention. To this end, five regional seminars are being organised targetting those states that still have to ratify or accede to the BTWC