The European Commission has presented this Thursday a proposal to create a new sanctions framework that allows for the blocking of assets and the prohibition of entry into the European Union for those involved in serious crimes such as migrant smuggling, human trafficking, drug trafficking, or money laundering linked to organized crime.
This sanctions regime, which still requires the unanimous support of the 27 Member States to move forward, aims to offer a "coordinated" response that makes it possible to impose "swift, proportionate, and periodically reviewed" sanctions.
Within this framework, the restrictive measures contemplated include, on the one hand, the freezing of assets and the prohibition of making funds or other economic resources available to persons or entities listed, and on the other hand, a travel ban to prevent both entry into and transit through the territory of the Member States for the individuals concerned.
The European executive has developed this initiative together with the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission, Kaja Kallas, with the intention that sanctions reach "illicit activities originating outside the Union which, due to their widespread, systematic or organized nature, pose a serious threat to the Union's values, to the security of the Union and its Member States, or to international security."
The new instrument will also be activated against "conduct related to the illicit trafficking of migrants, human trafficking and other activities related to illicit drugs, the manufacture and illicit trafficking of firearms, and money laundering," as well as against "identified persons and entities participating in these activities, including those who direct, manage, or support them by introducing and establishing a clear framework for restrictive measures."