New rules to control exports of civilian-use firearms, such as sports and hunting weapons, were approved by the European Parliament on October 13 2011.

These rules had already been informally agreed with the European Council, a media statement said.

"The European Parliament wants to guarantee maximum safety, but also to ensure that hunters and sports shooters leaving the EU for a while do not have to go through unnecessary formalities," the statement said.

The proposal was passed with 624 votes in favour, 17 against and two abstentions.

The new EU regulation will give effect to the United Nations Firearms Protocol (UNFP) which aims to combat the illicit manufacture and trafficking of firearms through more effective controls of the export of civilian-use weapons.

European exporters will have to seek authorisation from EU member states to export firearms and ammunition to countries outside the EU.

Before issuing an export licence, EU states will also have to ensure that the destination country has no objection to the import or transit of the weapon.

No authorisation will be required for hunters and sports shooters if they justify the reason for their journey and return to the EU within 24 months.

The list of firearms requiring export authorisation will be regularly updated by the European Commission, which will have to notify the European Parliament and the Council promptly of the changes.

The new EU rules will not apply to fully automatic, deactivated or antique firearms, or to those for use by the armed forces or public authorities of EU countries. Neither will they apply to state-to-state transactions.