EU leaders condemned on Monday 1 February the ongoing coup in Myanmar, led by the powerful army (the Tatmadaw), which took place on Sunday 31 January, while the new parliament, elected in November, was due to take office on 1 February. The Tatmadaw has declared a state of emergency for 1 year.
The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, “strongly” condemned the Tatmadaw coup as “a clear violation of the country’s constitution and an attempt by the military to overturn the will of the Myanmar people and their strong attachment to democracy, as expressed in the November 2020 general election”. “Today’s actions by the Tatmadaw bring back painful memories of previous decades. Democracy must prevail”, he regretted in a statement.
The High Representative demanded the immediate and unconditional release of President Win Myint, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and all others arrested. He warned that the EU was calling for the “immediate restoration” of Myanmar’s legitimate civilian government and that parliament be opened quickly with the participation of all elected representatives, as provided for in the constitution.
EU consults and reflects on its response
The High Representative said he was in contact with his international partners on “this most urgent issue” to ensure a “ coordinated response”.
Asked about the possibility of adopting sanctions in response to the coup, the spokesperson for the European External Action Service, Nabila Massrali, refused to speculate, pointing out that the decision belonged to the Council of the EU, unanimously. “The EU is examining all possible options with regard to sanctions in order to respond to the situation in a timely manner”, she explained, however.
The EU already has an embargo against Myanmar on arms and equipment that could be used for internal repression, a ban on the export of dual-use goods for military or border police use and restrictions on the export of communications surveillance equipment that could be used for internal repression. 14 high-ranking Tatmadaw and border police officers whom the EU considers responsible for (or associated with) serious human rights violations are also subject to sanctions. These measures are in force until 30 April.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Presidents of the European Council and the European Parliament also condemned the coup on Twitter and called for the release of those imprisoned. All of them recalled the importance of respecting the result of last November’s elections (see EUROPE 12598/6).
The Chairpersons of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs and of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) delegation, German MEPs from the EPP group, David McAllister and Daniel Caspary, did likewise, also recalling the EU’s political and financial support since 2015 for the democratic transition process and for the promotion of peace, human rights and development in the country.
Over the 2014-2020 period, the EU allocated €688 million to Myanmar for development, and the country benefits from trade preferences under the ‘Everything But Arms’ programme, they said.
“Unfortunately, all these positive developments have been abruptly reversed by the events of the night”, lamented Messrs McAllister and Caspary.
On 29 January, several delegations present in Myanmar, including the EU delegation and those of nine Member States, had called for democratic standards to be respected, fearing such a coup (see EUROPE 12647/18). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)