The European Union summoned the Venezuelan Ambassador to the EU institutions, Claudia Salerno Caldera, on the afternoon of Tuesday 30 June in response to the ultimatum set the previous day by Nicolás Maduro giving the EU Ambassador in Caracas, Isabel Brilhante Pedrosa, 72 hours to leave Venezuela.
The Venezuelan president took this decision after the EU added 11 dignitaries of the regime, including Luis Parra, to the list of persons subject to EU sanctions (see EUROPE 12516/28).
“The EU and its Member States are considering appropriate measures in response to current developments”, said the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. According to him, the expulsion of the European ambassador requires “measures of reciprocity”, and only “further isolates the Maduro regime internationally”. “All options are on the table”, he added.
A decision by consensus of the EU Council is necessary to qualify a non-Member State diplomat as persona non grata within the meaning of the Vienna Convention (Article 9). If this decision is taken, it will then be up to Belgium, as host country, to act on behalf of the Union. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)