Council Decision (CFSP) 2023/2686 amending certain Council Decisions concerning restrictive measures in order to insert provisions on humanitarian exceptions

Council Decision (CFSP) 2023/2686 as regards the insertion of provisions in various sanction decisions to enable humanitarian aid was published in the Official Journal (OJ) of the EU. Specifically, the decision modifies those decisions noted under „Other regulatory spec. affected“ – all imposing asset freezing and other restrictive measures in view of human rights abuses, violence against the own population, the threatening of democracy, the support of Russia’s war against Ukraine, and other similar issues – to include provisions that disapply terms and rules on the freezing of funds or the making available of funds so long as these funds are used for purposes of providing humanitarian aid and / or supporting basic human needs by certain organizations. Such organizations include:
– the United Nations (UN) or any of its related organizations and
– nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) or international organizations supporting the work of the UN as described in the decision.
The new decision also inserts provisions in the noted decisions to request the Council to regularly review this disapplication and any other restrictive measures set out in the decisions.