On Monday 27 February, the Council of the European Union adopted legal acts imposing new economic sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of the Korea (DPRK). These acts transpose the new restrictive measures imposed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2321 adopted on 30 November 2016.
The measures adopted include restrictions on transactions in coal, iron and iron ore from the DPRK, and a ban on imports of copper, nickel, silver, zinc as well as statues from the DPRK. The measures also include a ban on the export of new helicopters and vessels to the DPRK, and the tightening of existing restrictions in the transport sector as well as in the financial sector. This involves a prohibition for a DPRK diplomatic mission and/or a DPRK diplomat to have more than one bank account in the EU, and restrictions on the use of real estate property by the DPRK in the EU.
The EU member states must also take further measures to prevent specialised teaching or training of DPRK nationals in disciplines which would contribute to the DPRK's nuclear or ballistic-missile programmes. The member states must also suspend scientific and technical cooperation involving persons or groups officially sponsored by or representing the DPRK, except for medical exchanges.
All these measures include exemptions for livelihood and humanitarian purposes, where appropriate.
The EU had already begun to transpose Resolution 2321 by deciding on 8 December to include an additional 11 people and 10 entities on the list of people and entities targeted by an assets freeze, and to impose travel restrictions on the people in question (see EUROPE 11686). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)