On 6 April 2017 the Council of the European Union adopted additional restrictive measures against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) that complement and reinforce the sanctions regime imposed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. The new measures are taken as a response to the actions of the DPRK that violate multiple UNSC resolutions and that constitute a grave threat to international peace and security in the region and beyond.

The measures at issue consist in:

• the expansion of the prohibition on investments in the DPRK to new sectors, in particular the conventional arms-related industry, metallurgy and metalworking, and aerospace;
• the prohibition on the provision of certain services to persons or entities in the DPRK, namely computer services and services linked to mining and manufacturing in the chemical, mining and refining industry;
• the addition of four persons to the list of persons targeted by the EU’s restrictive measures for being responsible for supporting or promoting the DPRK’s nuclear-related, ballistic missile-related or other weapons of mass destruction-related programmes.

European restrictive measures against North Korea were introduced on 22 December 2006 in order to implement all UNSC resolutions adopted in response to the DPRK’s nuclear tests and launches using ballistic missile technology, and they also include additional EU autonomous measures. These measures target North Korea’s nuclear weapons and nuclear programmes, other weapon of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes and include prohibitions on the export and import of arms, goods, services and technology that could contribute to these programmes.

The European Union invites the DPRK to re-engage in a credible and meaningful dialogue with the international community, to cease its provocations, and to abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes as well as other weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.

Davide Scavuzzo