EESC advocates for protection of humanitarian aid and civil society in EU sanctions legislation

In its March plenary, the EESC adopted an opinion urging the European institutions to address the fragmented implementation of foreign policy sanctions across Member States. The EESC is concerned about these inconsistencies and calls for immediate action to offer humanitarian aid and protect journalists in sanctioned regimes.

The Council of the European Union sets foreign policy sanctions for all Member States. However, their implementation and enforcement are currently decentralised. This has resulted in a patchwork of differing definitions, scopes, penalties, and investigative capacities across Member States. The fragmentation undermines the effectiveness of EU sanctions and risks dividing the Union, with some countries more lenient on sanction violations than others. To address these issues, the European Commission has proposed a directive to standardise criminal offences and penalties for violating EU sanctions.

With its opinion on the Violation of sanctions / EU crimes, the EESC urges the EU institutions to expand the humanitarian carve-out in order to prevent any unintended negative consequences on humanitarian aid and assistance. "We want to protect the delivery of humanitarian aid to people in need living under sanctioned regimes," explained EESC Member José Antonio Moreno Díaz, rapporteur of the opinion. "We ask for a standing humanitarian exemption, to ensure that humanitarian staff can operate without risking criminal liability".

The Committee stressed the need to provide adequate information and proactive support to the private sector and civil society organisations, to enable them to adjust to new legislation and comply with the requirements of sanction regimes. Member States must be equipped with sufficient administrative capacities, funds, and trained personnel to detect, prosecute and punish sanction violations. (gb)