Brussels, 29/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 29 January, European home affairs ministers decided to call for new sanctions against persons and entities threatening or undermining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and to extend the individual sanctions taken in March 2014, and since added to, until September of this year.
“In view of the worsening situation, the Council agrees to extend, in full compliance with requirements of EU law, the restrictive measures targeting persons and entities for threatening or undermining Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, adopted in March 2014 and subsequently updated”, the Council conclusions state. According to the ministers of Belgium, Didier Reynders, and Luxembourg, Jean Asselborn, there was no need for discussions on this extension.
The ministers call upon High Representative Federica Mogherini and the Commission to present, “within a week”, a proposal on additional listings “for decision at the foreign affairs Council of 9 February”.
Stressing its intentions to continue to follow closely the situation on the ground and the diplomatic efforts underway, the Council calls for the Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) to undertake additional work to prepare for “any appropriate action aiming at ensuring a swift and comprehensive implementation of the Minsk agreements”. Mogherini stressed that economic measures were part of this package. On this point, the talks continued at some length, according to the Belgian minister, but he declined to go into any further detail.
Greece's “constructive” attitude. Fears of a Greek veto proved to be unfounded. The Greek minister explained that he was not opposed to all of the sanctions, but that he was against new ones. Mogherini stressed that the Greek minister, Nikos Kotzias, had shown a “constructive attitude”, seeking unity. A European source said that the Greek delegation had been in favour of a compromise, whereas other delegations had expressed misgivings. For example, the heads of government of Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovakia stressed through the day that “further sanctions, or a reinforcement of the current ones, could in the best of cases only be a stop-gap solution and could never replace a peace plan”. Kotzias reports that the British delegation hesitated about agreeing to a tightening of sanctions.
Condemnation of shelling of Mariupol. The ministers strongly condemned the indiscriminate shelling of residential areas, particularly in Mariupol, and the recent escalation of fighting in the regions of Donetsk and Lougansk, stating that they were “shocked by the high number of casualties”. As the heads of state and government also did (see EUROPE 11240), the ministers note “evidence of continued and growing support given to the separatists by Russia, which underlined Russia's responsibility”. The Council expects Russia to exert its influence to induce the separatists, “without delay”, to stop the hostile actions and live up fully to their commitments under the Minsk agreements. “All sides (must) fully assume their responsibility and implement their commitments under the Minsk agreements”, the Council stresses. It calls “in particular” on Russia to condemn the separatists' actions. The ministers reiterate that the EU “will actively support all diplomatic efforts conducive to creating a new political impetus” and will “engage further as necessary”. They add that efforts should be undertaken “in good faith” and lead to “meaningful results”, and that the full implementation of the Minsk agreements as the basis for a sustainable political solution to the conflict “must remain the focus of such talks”.
The Council urges the Ukrainian authorities “rapidly” to take legal measures to allow the International Criminal Court to investigate suspected crimes against humanity committed on Ukrainian soil in 2014 and 2015.
As already discussed at the Council of 19 January (see EUROPE 11233), the ministers wish to tackle “Russian propaganda”, calling on Mogherini to “step up efforts”, in cooperation with the member states and institutions of the EU, to improve strategic communication to support EU policies and look into options to set in place a dedicated communication team to carry out these actions. According to the ministers, these efforts should include a proactive communication of EU policies, the correction of misinformation and support for the development of independent media throughout the region.
The ministers also reiterate their calls on the Ukrainian government to speed up the implementation of political and economic reforms, calling upon it to provide concrete results in key areas. (CG, EL, MD)