Overview
- EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels approved a one-year extension of the restrictive measures, now running to January 10, 2027.
- The Council said 69 Venezuelan officials remain listed, facing asset freezes, bans on receiving funds and prohibitions on entering EU territory.
- The extension cites persistent actions undermining democracy and the rule of law and continued human rights violations connected to the July 28, 2024 presidential election and its aftermath.
- EU measures have been in place since November 2017 and include an arms embargo and a ban on equipment that could be used for internal repression.
- The EU describes the sanctions as support for a negotiated democratic solution with lifting contingent on tangible human rights and rule-of-law progress, while High Representative Kaja Kallas has questioned Nicolás Maduro’s legitimacy.