Restrictive measures against Zimbabwe

KEY POINTS

To prevent internal repression within Zimbabwe, the decision and regulation prohibit:

• the sale, supply, transfer or export of arms and related materiel of all types for use in Zimbabwe, including
  • weapons and ammunition
  • military vehicles and equipment
  • paramilitary equipment and spare parts;
• the supply of technical assistance in the use of such weapons;
• the provision of financing or financial assistance related to military activities in Zimbabwe, including in particular
  • grants, loans and export credit insurance
  • insurance and reinsurance for any sale, supply, transfer or export of arms and related military equipment.

Restrictive measures

The decision and regulation impose restrictive measures on individual members of the Zimbabwean government and any associates whose activities seriously undermine democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law in Zimbabwe.

• A travel ban:
  • the annex to the decision sets out the list of individuals whom Member States must prevent entering or transiting through their territories;
  • the annex may be amended by a decision of the Council.
• An asset freeze:
  • the annex to the decision sets out the individuals whose funds and economic resources will be frozen;
  • no funds or economic resources will be made available, directly or indirectly, to those individuals, companies, entities or bodies.

Specific exemptions to these measures are set out in the decision.

Appropriate measures

In addition to the above measures, the EU also imposed ‘appropriate measures’ on Zimbabwe between 2002 and 2014. These measures consisted of:

• the suspension of all direct development cooperation with the government; and instead
• direct support of the population in the social sectors, democratisation, respect for human rights and the rule of law, implemented through international agencies or civil-society organisations.

These measures were lifted in November 2014, with the re-engagement of the EU and its Member States in political dialogue with the Zimbabwean government and the resumption of EU bilateral development cooperation.