(1)

Council Regulation (EU) No 36/2012 (2) gives effect to most of the measures provided for in Decision 2013/255/CFSP.

(2)

On 10 February 2014, the Council adopted Decision 2014/74/CFSP (3) amending Decision 2013/255/CFSP.

(3)

A further derogation from the asset freeze should be provided for in Regulation (EU) No 36/2012 to enable the release of funds or economic resources of Syrian State-owned entities or the Central Bank of Syria for the purpose of making payments on behalf of the Syrian Arab Republic to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for activities related to the OPCW verification mission and the destruction of Syrian chemical weapons.

(4)

That measure falls within the scope of the Treaty and regulatory action at Union level is therefore necessary in order to implement it, in particular, with a view to ensuring its uniform application by economic operators in all Member States.

(5)

Regulation (EU) No 36/2012 should therefore be amended accordingly,

‘(i)

intended exclusively for payments by Syrian State-owned entities or the Central Bank of Syria, as listed in Annexes II and IIa, on behalf of the Syrian Arab Republic to the OPCW for activities related to the OPCW verification mission and the destruction of Syrian chemical weapons, including in particular payments to the OPCW Special Trust Fund for activities related to the complete destruction of Syrian chemical weapons outside the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic.’.