The Council on Ethics’ recommendation, 13 November 2015
During 2015, the Council on Ethics has exchanged mail correspondence with Indian technology company Larsen & Toubro. During the spring, the Council received information that the company may be involved in India’s nuclear weapons programme. In accordance with the position the Council on Ethics and the AP Funds have adopted regarding the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty, NPT, this violation is linked to this treaty, since India is not a specified nuclear weapons state in the treaty.
The aim of the Council’s dialogue with the company was to improve its knowledge of any involvement the company may have had in the two weapons systems, whether the systems might reasonably be used in India’s nuclear weapons programme, and whether the company is still involved in the development/manufacture of weapons systems.
The Council deems that continued dialogue with Larsen & Toubro is no longer meaningful. There is nothing to indicate that the company will admit involvement in India’s nuclear weapons programme, or indeed to refrain from these kinds of operations. This means that the company can be linked to violations of the UN Non-Proliferation Treaty, NPT, and the Council therefore recommends that Larsen & Toubro be excluded.