20 February 2014 – The EU has today announced its decision to suspend most remaining restrictive measures in place against Zimbabwe, with the exception of those measures against the Head of State, President Robert Mugabe, and his spouse. The arms embargo and restrictive measures against one entity – Zimbabwe Defence Industries – are also maintained.
It was also announced that EU will resume a development relationship with Zimbabwe as of 1 November 2014.
Previously, in March 2013, Foreign Ministers of all EU Member States agreed to suspend restrictive measures on 81 individuals and 8 entities – on the understanding that any deterioration in the human rights situation would reverse this suspension.
Today’s announcement sees an asset freeze and travel ban lifted from eight of Zimbabwe's most powerful military and political figures including the Commander of the Zimbabwe Defense Forces, and Zimbabwe’s Intelligence Chief and Chief of Police.
Geoffrey Van Orden MEP, Chairman of the European Parliament 'Friends of Zimbabwe' group, who has long spearheaded the Parliament's campaign for freedom and democratic change in Zimbabwe, commented:
“There has been some movement in the right direction over the past year and this needs to be reinforced. However, there are still hundreds of incidents of human rights abuse each year and political freedom is constrained. The most recent elections were widely recognised as having been neither wholly democratic nor credible – despite being conducted in a relatively peaceful manner.
"Resumption of the EU’s development relationship with Zimbabwe has a separate logic. We have always said that, contrary to the false claims by Mugabe’s Zanu-PF loyalists, there were never sanctions against the Zimbabwean people but carefully targeted measures against individuals and companies that have directly supported Mugabe and his oppressive agenda.
“We cannot condone Mugabe’s presence in Brussels in April for the EU-Africa Summit but this merely continues the exploitation of a loophole in the system for his own propaganda purposes. Real progress in Zimbabwe will not be made until Mugabe and those that hold on to his coat-tails have left power".
ENDS
Geoffrey Van Orden MBE MEP is Conservative Defence and Security Spokesman. Over many years he has initiated the European Parliament’s tough resolutions on Zimbabwe. He has been personally banned by Mugabe from entering Zimbabwe.
He can be contacted on: (0032) (2) 284 7332 or by email: geoffrey.vanorden@europarl.europa.eu