The European External Action Service (EEAS) and the Political and Security Committee (COPS/PSC) are working on a new declaration by the Twenty-Eight Member States concerning the Venezuelan crisis in order to increase pressure on the Nicolás Maduro regime on Friday 25 January as we were going to press.
According to our information, France and Spain were trying to achieve unanimity among the Member States on the following: - ask the Venezuelan authorities to announce within 8 days the holding of free and credible elections; - in the absence of such an announcement, acknowledge Juan Guaidó, the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, who proclaimed himself President in Office of Venezuela (see EUROPE 12179), as the only credible interlocutor.
"If the Venezuelan regime does not have any intention of calling elections [...] we would consider adopting other measures, including recognition as interim president" of Mr Guaidó, said the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, according to the AFP.
Greece and Portugal are among the Member States that are reluctant to recognise Mr Guaidó's legitimacy.
"At this time, the EEAS has the floor", said a European diplomatic source in the late afternoon. According to a second source, Member States could wait for the outcome of the United Nations Security Council meeting on Saturday, convened at the request of the United States, which has recognized Mr Guaidó, before taking a decision.
At the urging of the President of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, and the EPP Group, the Parliament will adopt a political resolution on Venezuela. The Christian Democrats hope that Parliament will officially recognise Mr Guaidó as the only legitimate interlocutor.
On Friday, on the initiative of Dita Charanzová (ALDE, Czech Republic), around thirty MEPs from the EPP, ALDE and ECR groups, including Guy Verhofstadt (ALDE, Belgium), called on the EEAS to recognise Mr Guaidó's legitimacy.
See the letter from the MPs: http://bit.ly/2FOuORU. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)