"The European Union continues to support Juan Guaidó as President of the Venezuelan National Assembly", said High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, on behalf of the EU27 on Thursday 4 June.
This is Europe's reaction to the Venezuelan Supreme Court's ratification at the end of May of the election of Luis Parra, an ally of the Maduro regime, to the head of this assembly, which they consider "illegitimate". And they strongly reject "violations of the democratic functioning (...) of the National Assembly", as well as "intimidation and violence" perpetrated against its members.
Contrary to a statement issued in January (see EUROPE 12401/3), the EU is not ready to adopt new targeted sanctions against the Maduro regime.
Furthermore, according to the EU, the procedure to classify the Voluntad Popular party led by opponent Leopoldo López and to which Guaidó belonged until January 2020, as a terrorist organisation is also a step in wrong direction to a solution to the political crisis that has shaken the country since the controversial re-election of Nicolás Maduro as leader in early 2018.
Reiterating its rejection of any military solution to the Venezuelan crisis, the EU stands ready to redouble its efforts to facilitate an agreed political solution leading to the organisation of presidential elections. And to look forward to the early holding, as soon as possible, of a meeting of the International Contact Group on Venezuela. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)