Foreign Ministers decided on Monday 19 November to launch work to sanction Iranian officials for attempted attacks in the European Union.
"The Council will continue work to explore appropriate targeted measures", announced the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, at the end of the Foreign Affairs Council.
Earlier in the day, Danish diplomacy chief Anders Samuelsen announced the "launch of discussions on possible actions" in response to the attempted attack in Denmark, stating that his country's objective was to adopt "sanctions".
While no names were mentioned, according to Czech Minister Tomáš Petříček, the ministers supported the adoption of sanctions against one entity and two people. France has already sanctioned two diplomats and an Iranian intelligence agency on its territory following the failed attempt to attack Villepinte.
The SPV will soon be ready
The ministers also discussed the special purpose vehicle (SPV) fund to help European companies that are still signatories to the agreement to continue their business with Iran, despite US sanctions.
According to Ms Mogherini, the involvement of Finance Ministers from the three E3 Member States (Germany, France, United Kingdom), but also from other Member States, is "a crucial step that makes her believe [the SPV] will be created as soon as possible".
"I can't give you a date, but I can tell you that the work is ongoing and progressing in a positive way", she explained when she arrived at the Council. She added that the E3 Finance Ministers were working "hard to finalize" the vehicle.
Despite these optimistic remarks, the fund's implementation seems complicated by the difficulty of finding a host country for it.
Luxembourger Jean Asselborn considered that the SPV could only be implemented if it could be anchored into European law. "It is a European commitment, not a national commitment. It must therefore be given a basis in European law", he explained. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)