The European Union has confirmed this Wednesday that the Twenty-Seven remain immersed in talks to lift the sanctions imposed on the interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodríguez. The debate remains open after the High Representative for Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallas, raised in February the idea of reviewing the restrictive measures against the Venezuelan leader, although for now the necessary consensus has not been reached to remove them.
"The exchanges continue in the Council and those deliberations are confidential," a Community spokesperson said in statements to Europa Press, when asked about the status of discussions on lifting the sanctions on Rodríguez. This initiative, promoted by Spain at the beginning of the year, remains pending on all member States aligning on a common position.
The European External Action Service (SEAE) has specified that Kallas "proposed a review of the current sanctions" --which include the ban on entry into European territory and the freezing of assets-- with the intention of "initiating conversations and building a consensus among the member States." The proposal envisages lifting the restrictive measures weighing on Delcy Rodríguez "as the current acting interim president in office".
However, the SEAE has emphasized that "any decision must be adopted unanimously by the member States," without revealing details of national positions or setting out timelines on when an agreement might be reached to modify or lift the sanctions.
Reluctance from some European partners
From Brussels they recall that European sanctions against Venezuelan officials "are not an end in themselves," but "a tool to encourage respect for democracy, Human Rights and the rule of law." They also insist that these measures are reviewed periodically based on progress that is "tangible and verifiable" in these areas.
"As Venezuela adopts measures to respect fundamental freedoms, the EU is willing to use all the tools at its disposal to support a transition to democracy," the European spokesperson added, underlining that the sanctions policy is subject to the evolution of the internal situation in the Latin American country.
This Tuesday, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, explained to the media that "a majority" of Community partners supports his proposal to lift European sanctions against Rodríguez, and that Kallas "is talking with the few countries that still have some doubt or some reluctance".
Albares defended that keeping sanctions against the interim President of Venezuela "makes no sense" in the current Venezuelan political scenario, even more so after the leader has traveled to several European States, such as the Netherlands and Italy, "with complete normality" and without notable incidents.
The head of Spanish diplomacy also argued that the EU does not usually "impose sanctions on the presidents of the countries," and that, for that reason, Nicolás Maduro "did not have them." "The European Union has to have a dialogue, a voice also directly with Venezuela, like it has, for example, the United States. I don’t see why the European Union would have to fall behind," defended Albares.
Validity of the sanctions until 2027
The latest extension of European sanctions against Venezuela was approved in December 2025, when the Twenty-Seven agreed to extend the restrictive measures until 10 January 2027 due to the absence of progress in the country's democratic transition. Their continuity will have to be reviewed again in the coming months.
In any case, both the renewal of the sanctions and their lifting require unanimity. The next review will also arrive in a context marked by the general elections in Spain and the possibility that a potential change of Government could alter Spain’s position on the withdrawal of sanctions against Rodríguez, a proposal that has been supported by the Executive of Pedro Sánchez and that the Partido Popular rejects.
Currently, the sanctions affect 69 people linked to Venezuelan authorities, including Chavista leaders such as Delcy Rodríguez and the Minister of the Interior, Diosdado Cabello. The measures include a ban on entry into Community territory and the freezing of assets that they may have in the European Union.