![]() Sign up for EUobserver’s daily newsletterĪll the stories we publish, sent at 7.30 AM.īy signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.īut the fact it never covered corruption, the way the equivalent US Magnitsky Act does, was always seen as a weak point by campaigners. The EU Magnitsky Act act covers crimes such as genocide, slavery, and "inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment". The Dutch originally pushed for the EU "global human rights sanctions regime", which is informally known in Brussels as the European Magnitsky Act, because it was inspired by Sergei Magnitsky, a Russian dissident who died in jail some 15 years ago. These are designed to hold to account bad actors who enjoy immunity in their home jurisdictions and to snap into place more quickly than traditional EU sanctions, which target rogue countries instead of individuals. The EU already has three similar sanctions regimes in place - on people guilty of human-rights abuses, chemical-weapons abuses, and cyber attacks. Their thinking is: 'Who are we to act as a global police force, when we also have serious issues with corruption in some of our own countries?'," they added. "Some member states are afraid of public perception. "It still needs to be discussed to see if there's an appetite among member states to take this forward," an EU diplomat added. ![]() "We'll see what member states think about that", one EU source said, referring to the audacity of the majority-vote idea. The new measures are currently being studied by EU states' legal experts, prior to initial talks in council working groups in the coming weeks. shall establish and amend the list" of targeted people or entities, the commission proposed. "The Council, acting by qualified majority upon a proposal from a member state or from the high representative of the union for foreign affairs and security policy. The move is aimed mostly at corrupt foreign regimes, especially ones hoovering up EU development aid, but would not exempt EU nationals - given that thousands of Russian and Middle Eastern businessmen have acquired EU passports in recent years.īut while those blacklisted would have their European assets frozen whatever passport they hold, the sanctions "shall not oblige a member state to refuse its own nationals entry into its territory", the proposal noted.ĮU sanctions are normally imposed by unanimous decisions of all 27 capitals, creating scope for national vetoes.īut in an added novelty, the EU Commission said the anti-corruption sanctions should be decided by a majority vote. It would also consider whether "such acts have been committed in a systematic manner or through complex schemes". The sanctions would take into account "the value of the bribe(s) or assets embezzled, misappropriated" as well as "the prominence of the public function held by the official(s) or other persons involved" in deciding who to strike. the objectives of the common foreign and security policy". They would cover "acts of bribery" and "acts of embezzlement" of a scale that "seriously affect. ![]() The proposed new sanctions would impose asset-freezes and visa bans on people deemed guilty of "serious acts of corruption worldwide", according to a draft regulation dated 4 May and seen by EUobserver. Disabled Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years jail, amid talks on potential EU sanctions (Photo: Michał Siergiejevicz). ![]()
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