Venezuela denounces EU sanctions renewal as 'illegitimate hostility'

BOGOTA, Colombia

Venezuela’s government on Monday issued a statement sharply rejecting the EU’s renewal of sanctions and what it described as unilateral coercive measures against the country.

The Foreign Ministry described the measures as "illegitimate, illegal, and contrary to international law," linking the Brussels' decision to an "erratic foreign policy."

"The leaders of that bloc have unfortunately chosen to accelerate their own political decline by insisting on a line of sterile hostility against Venezuela," the government of President Nicolas Maduro said in the statement.

Caracas' reaction comes after EU foreign ministers, who met in Brussels on Monday, approved extending sanctions against Venezuela for another year.

The measures target 69 individuals from Maduro’s inner circle, keeping them on the bloc's blacklist until Jan. 10, 2027. Brussels justified the renewal “in view of the persistent actions that undermine democracy and the rule of law, as well as the ongoing human rights violations and repression of civil society and the democratic opposition.”

The sanctions regime, first approved in November 2017, includes a travel ban preventing sanctioned individuals — who include high-ranking officials such as Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello and Executive Vice President Delcy Rodriguez — from entering EU territory.

It also includes the freezing of their assets and accounts held in Europe, a prohibition on the sanctioned parties from receiving funds or economic resources from EU territory and an embargo on arms and equipment that could be used for "internal repression."

The bloc reiterated its position that the lifting of sanctions depends on tangible progress in human rights and the rule of law in Venezuela.

"The EU has not taken any measures that could harm the Venezuelan people or the economy. The responsibility for ending the crisis in Venezuela lies with its authorities," the EU foreign ministers said, stressing the need for the country to take significant steps towards genuine dialogue and a democratic transition.

The EU's decision to increase pressure arrives amid a recent military escalation by the US in the Caribbean and the recent awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.