COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION ...latest news

 

Press material Monday 24 April 2023

● Council of the EU   24/04/2023 15:23 | Press release | EU fight against terrorism: one group and two individuals added to the EU sanctions list   The Council today decided to add two individuals and one group affiliated to ISIL and operating mainly in the Cabo Delgado region in Mozambique to the list of those subject to restrictive measures against ISIL (Da'esh) and Al-Qaeda and persons, groups, undertakings and entities associated with them. The measures target ISIS-Mozambique as well as Abu Yasir Hassan and Bonomade Machude Omar, who hold key leadership roles in the group. The sanctioned group and individuals are responsible for terrorist attacks and serious human rights abuses. Their activities contribute to the expansion of the terrorist threat in Mozambique and pose a serious threat to the EU and to regional and international stability. With these new listings, a total of 15 persons are now subject to a travel ban and an asset freeze, and five groups to an asset freeze. In addition, EU persons and operators are forbidden from making funds or economic resources available to the listed persons and groups. Today's decision reconfirms the EU's resolve in countering the continued terrorist threat posed by Al-Qaeda, ISIL/Da'esh and their regional affiliates. The EU remains committed to taking decisive action against those who continue to threaten international peace and security by planning, financing and committing terrorist attacks, and by spreading their deadly terrorist propaganda around the world. Alongside the targeted sanctions, the EU deploys a wide variety of initiatives as part of an integrated approach – encompassing humanitarian, development, peace building and security actions – to address the armed violence in Cabo Delgado. Under this approach, the EU has been supporting displaced people fleeing violence and providing food and basic goods to local populations suffering as a result of the grave humanitarian situation. The EU has also put in place a multidimensional security support consisting of the deployment of an EU military training mission (EUTM Mozambique) and the delivery of non-lethal equipment through the European Peace Facility, and an EU counter-terrorism expert assisting in the police and law-enforcement sector in Mozambique. In addition, the EU supports regional and bilateral security efforts in Cabo Delgado. The relevant legal acts have been published in the Official Journal of the EU. Official Journal of the EU (including the list of sanctioned individuals and entities) EU terrorist list (background information)

Press material Monday 24 April 2023

● Council of the EU   24/04/2023 15:00 | Press release | Syria: EU sanctions drug trade benefitting the regime   The Council today decided to list 25 individuals and 8 entities in the framework of EU restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria. The majority of today’s designations target individuals and entities responsible for the production and trafficking of narcotics, notably Captagon. The trade in amphetamine has become a regime-led business model, enriching the inner circle of the regime and providing it with revenue that contributes to its ability to maintain its policies of repression against the civilian population. For this reason the Council designated various members of the Assad family - including multiple cousins of Bashar al-Assad, leaders and members of regime-affiliated militias and businesspeople with close ties to the Assad family, as well as persons associated with the Syrian army and the Syrian military intelligence. The remaining designations concern private security companies operating in Syria, such as Al-Jabal Security and Protection, Castle for Security and Protection and Aman for Protection and Security, and individuals and entities linked to them. These companies also act as shell companies for regime-affiliated militia and support them though activities such as the recruitment of members. The Council has assessed that regime-affiliated militias support the Syrian regime in its repressive policies, commit abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law on behalf of the Syrian regime, and that their members present a serious risk of further committing such violations. Lastly, the Council listed the Russian engineering and construction company Stroytransgaz and Gecopham, an entity controlled by the Syrian Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, for providing support to the regime. With today's decision, the list of people and entities subject to sanctions in view of the situation in Syria now includes 322 persons, targeted by both an assets freeze and a travel ban, and 81 entities subject to an assets freeze. In addition, EU persons and entities are forbidden from making funds available to both listed individuals and entities. Sanctions on Syria were first introduced in 2011 in response to the violent repression of the civilian population by the Assad regime. EU sanctions in place regarding Syria target the Assad regime and its supporters, as well as sectors of the economy from which the regime was making profit. EU sanctions in place regarding Syria are not meant to impede the provision humanitarian assistance to any part of the country. EU Sanctions do not prohibit the export of food, medicines or medical equipment by the EU to Syria, and they do not target Syria’s healthcare system. The sanctions regime includes a wide range of humanitarian exceptions to ensure the provision of humanitarian assistance to any part of the country. Following the tragic earthquake of 6 February 2023, the already existing humanitarian exceptions were further strengthened to further facilitate the speedy delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Syrian population. The Council remains deeply concerned about the situation in Syria. After more than a decade, the conflict is far from over and remains a source of suffering and instability. However, the Council also notes that the Syrian regime continues to pursue its policy of repression. It is therefore necessary to maintain and ensure the effectiveness of the restrictive measures in place by further developing them. The EU remains committed to finding a lasting and credible political solution to the conflict in Syria on the basis of the UN Security Council resolution 2254 and of the 2012 Geneva Communiqué. Official Journal of the EU, 24 April 2023 (including a list of the sanctioned individuals and entities) Council Decision 2013/255/CFSP of 31 May 2013 concerning restrictive measures against Syria (consolidated list of individuals and entities until 23.02.2023) Earthquake in Türkiye and Syria: EU amends restrictive measures in place regarding Syria to facilitate the speedy delivery of humanitarian aid (press release, 23 February 2023) Syria: EU response to the crisis (background information)

Press material Monday 24 April 2023

● Council of the EU   24/04/2023 14:45 | Press release | Iran: Council sanctions eight additional individuals and one entity over human rights violations   The Council decided today to impose restrictive measures on eight additional individuals and one entity responsible for serious human rights violations in Iran. The Council is sanctioning Ariantel, an Iranian mobile service provider, which contributed to the telecommunications surveillance architecture mapped out by the Iranian government to quash dissent and critical voices in Iran. New listings also include lawmakers in the Iranian Parliament, members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the IRCG Cooperative Foundation, which is the body responsible for managing the IRGC’s investments and in that framework responsible for funnelling money into the regime’s brutal repression. Restrictive measures now apply to a total of 211 individuals and 35 entities. They consist of an asset freeze, a travel ban to the EU and a prohibition to make funds or economic resources available to those listed. A ban on exports to Iran of equipment which might be used for internal repression and of equipment for monitoring telecommunications is also in place. The European Union and its member states urge the Iranian authorities to stop any form of violent crackdown against peaceful protests, cease their resort to arbitrary detentions as a means of silencing critical voices, and release all those unjustly detained. The EU calls on Iran to end the practice of imposing and carrying out death sentences against protesters, reverse the death penalty sentences pronounced, as well as provide due process to all detainees. The EU also calls upon Iran to end the distressing practice of detaining foreign civilians with a view to making political gains. Today’s package of listings complements the previous six packages adopted by the Council on 17 October, 14 November, and 12 December 2022, 23 January, 20 February and 20 March 2023. The relevant legal acts have been published in the Official Journal of the EU. Council implementing regulation and implementing decision concerning restrictive measures directed against certain persons, entities and bodies in view of the situation in Iran (including the list of sanctioned individuals and entities) Human rights violations in Iran: EU sanctions additional eight individuals and one entity (press release, 20 March 2023) Iran: Council approves conclusions (press release, 12 December 2022)