At the request of several Member States’ national authorities, the European Commission published, on Friday 11 June, three opinions on the application of specific provisions of the EU Council Regulations on EU restrictive measures concerning Libya, Syria, the Central African Republic and actions undermining the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
The first opinion concerns changes to the features of frozen funds under the Libya and Syria sanctions. The Commission concludes that a change in the nature or location of frozen funds would be incompatible with the EU Regulations if such a change were to allow anyone to use those funds at any time while the EU restrictive measures are in force, or if it were to have the purpose or effect of circumventing the asset freeze.
With regard to the sanctions concerning the Central African Republic, the Commission will decide, in a second opinion, on an application under EU Council Regulation 224/2014 for the release of frozen funds for the purpose of implementing a financial guarantee.
In a third opinion on sanctions concerning actions undermining the territorial integrity of Ukraine, it clarifies the prohibition on making funds or economic resources available to persons listed in Annex I to the EU Council Regulation 269/2014.
The purpose of these opinions, which are not binding, is to advise those who have to implement and monitor EU sanctions.
See the opinion on Syria and Libya: https://bit.ly/3ixtw03; on the Central African Republic: https://bit.ly/3guqruO; and on Ukraine: https://bit.ly/2TPMEvO (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)