Senators Urge EU to Renew, Expand Venezuela Sanctions

A bipartisan group of 10 senators called on the EU May 9 to step up sanctions against Venezuela to address the country’s repression of political opponents.

In a letter to EU Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, the senators called for renewing “all of the existing restrictive measures on Venezuela and leaders” in the regime of President Nicolas Maduro. They also encouraged the EU to expand its Venezuela sanctions to "align" itself with the U.S. and Canada, which have imposed financial and diplomatic sanctions on more than 200 Maduro regime officials and several Venezuelan institutions.

The letter was led by Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The European Council in November renewed its sanctions on Venezuela for six months, until May 14 (see 2311130015). The sanctions include an embargo on arms and equipment for internal repression along with an asset freeze on 54 people. The European Parliament approved a resolution in March calling for increased sanctions on Venezuelan officials, including Maduro (see 2403140040).