In a press release on Thursday 19 April, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini stated that the European Union is ready to react "through appropriate measures to any decision or action that might continue to undermine democracy, the rule of law and human rights situation in the country".
Mogherini is especially of the opinion that the decision of Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE) to limit participation in local and regional elections to those parties that present candidates for the presidential elections on 20 May is "a further blow" to the credibility of the process.
She lists the reasons why the Europeans will not send a mission to observe the Venezuelan presidential elections – a decision which was criticised by Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza Montserrat after a meeting with Mogherini (see EUROPE 11999). She especially mentions the lack of a balanced composition of the CNE, the lack of an electoral timetable agreed with all the parties and the lack of fair participation of the political parties.
The EU reiterates its concern about "the social impact" of the political, economic and health crisis in Venezuela that is leading to "the current mass migration" to neighbouring host countries like Colombia and Brazil. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)