EU Parliament - Freezing funds of arms dealers in Sudan and Congo

The Committee on Civil Liberties approved on 13 June two draft proposals for Council regulations imposing sanctions on individuals and organisations who are impeding the peace processes in the Darfur region of Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

In view of recent developments in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations Security Council decided to broaden the scope of restrictive measures in force against Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo in two decisions taken on 29 March and 18 April respectively. These measures include the freezing of funds and economic resources of persons and entities designated by the United Nations as impeding the peace process, constituting a threat to stability and committing violations of international humanitarian or human rights law or atrocities, or committing violations of the arms embargo.

As the Security Council was acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, the European Community and the Member States are obliged to implement the measures. A list of the individuals and entities subject to the measures will be drawn up confidentially by a Sanctions Committee to try and prevent the funds and economic resources targeted from being hidden away. Although the Civil Liberties Committee in principle backs this type of sanction, as it targets leaders without penalising the population, it adopted several non-binding amendments, one of which would add a specific reference to the Cotonou Agreement of 2000.

The list of persons and entities concerned, which is supposed to be included in Annex 1 to the draft regulation, contains no names at present as the Council has yet to establish the procedure for drawing up the list. During the debate the Commission representative stressed that the Commission cannot deviate from the list to be established by the Council. MEPs, however, were adamant that it was not acceptable for Parliament to be consulted on a regulation which did not yet contain the list. They therefore proposed that provision be made for the Civil Liberties Committee and the Development Committee to be given details of the list on a confidential basis.

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• République démocratique du Congo - Mesures restrictives (13/6/2005)
• Conclusions of EU External Relations Council - Sudan (23/5/2005)