On Monday 16 July, the Foreign Affairs Council is expected to adopt restrictive measures against the Maldives given the situation there. In concrete terms, the EU should adopt a framework to be able to impose sanctions on persons and entities that violate human rights, undermine rule of law or obstruct the finding of a political solution in the country.
This decision follows threats from the Council on 26 February this year (see EUROPE 11969). In their conclusions, the ministers had said that the situation in Maldives was “not in line with the principles of democratic governance and separation of powers” and that they could foresee “targeted measures” if that situation did not improve. The situation in the country is not stable following the president’s decision to decree a state of emergency and that of the supreme court to go back on its decision concerning political opposition, while presidential elections are scheduled for 23 September (see EUROPE 11955).
Iran. During its meeting, the Council is also expected to state its intention not to express objection to amending the blocking statute, the 1996 regulation that aims to neutralise the extra-territorial effect of US sanctions in the EU. On 6 June, the Commission launched the formal process for activating that law (see EUROPE 12035) and, from the date of the launch, the Council and the European Parliament had two months in which to oppose measures with the possibility of shortening the period if both institutions stated their non-objection.
Although Iran officially appears as a brief point on the agenda, a European diplomat said he had no doubt there would be quite a long discussion between ministers on this matter. On 6 July, Europeans, Russians and Chinese reaffirmed their commitments towards Iran in terms of economic cooperation (see EUROPE 12057). The United States, for its part, continues to exert pressure for halting such relations (see related article).
Eastern Partnership. The ministers are expected to discuss the Eastern Partnership and to prepare the ministerial meeting with the six partner countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine – which will be held on 15 October this year. The debate should in particular seek to take stock of implementation of the “20 objectives to be reached for 2020”, approved during the summit on 24 November 2017 (see EUROPE 11912), and could recall the importance of continuing reforms in partner countries.
Libya. The Council will then return to the situation in Libya, from the economic, political and security points of view. Ministers will discuss the political situation, including elections planned for the end of the year and constitutional reform, and evoke the economic situation, including with regards the recent attempts by Colonel Haftar to market Libyan oil outside the officially recognised channels at international level (see EUROPE 12051). “It is essential for the EUNAVFOR Med Sophia operation to be able to verify whether the flows (of oil) are able to benefit legitimate political and financial institutions in Libya”, one European diplomat explained. The mandate of the operation in the Mediterranean will undergo strategic review in September. This could be the subject of bitter discussion, while the Italian home minister, Matteo Salvini, threatened to no longer authorise the landing in Italy of migrants picked up by vessels of the international mission, in opposition to the legal framework of the operation (see EUROPE 12058).
North Korea. Finally, during lunch, the ministers will discuss North Korea, after the meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, on 12 June, and the visit to that country by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, from 5 to 7 July. They are expected to study ways to support discussions and intra-Korean efforts to achieve complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation in North Korea. Upstream of the discussion, EU High Representative for Foreign affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini held a telephone conversation with the Japanese foreign secretary, Taro Kono, on 13 July.
In its conclusions, without debate, the Council is due to state its support for the International Criminal Court on the occasion of its 20th anniversary. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)