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Council of the European Union    26/2/2018  Moldova: Council adopts conclusions Foreign ministers had an exchange of views on the Republic of Moldova (thereafter Moldova), including the implementation of the Association Agreement, EU engagement with Moldova and future perspectives ahead of the next parliamentary elections. They also discussed the role of Moldova within the Eastern Partnership and engagement in the field of security. The Council adopted conclusions at the end of the debate. In its conclusions, the Council reaffirms its commitment to strengthening political association and economic integration between the EU and Moldova by working in close partnership, on the basis of the Association Agreement that entered into force in July 2016. The Council recalls that the EU remains committed to supporting progress in reforms which are needed to ensure that the citizens of Moldova reap the benefits of the Association Agreement, including the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. The Council last discussed and adopted conclusions on the Republic of Moldova on 15 February 2016. Those conclusions focused on the reforms Moldova needed to carry out in line with its association agreement in order to fulfil citizens' expectations. Since then, the authorities of Moldova have adopted several legislative initiatives related to those reforms identified as priorities in the Council conclusions. While acknowledging the steps already taken by Moldova, the Council highlights that it is crucial that the reforms started in 2016 continue and are implemented. Ahead of the upcoming elections, the Council expresses its regret that the new electoral law does not address some of the key recommendations of the joint opinion of the Council of Europe Venice Commission and the OSCE/Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, recalling that transparent, inclusive and credible elections at central and local level are of key importance. The Council also recalls that media freedom and pluralism are prerequisites for a democratic society and urges Moldova to pursue reforms which address the concentration of media ownership and guarantee media freedom and pluralism. The Council underlines that renewed efforts should be urgently dedicated to a more decisive fight against corruption with tangible results, and that this should be accompanied by a thorough reform of the judiciary, including the prosecution service. It also underlines that this reform process should include thorough, impartial and comprehensive investigations and prosecutions of all those involved in the massive banking fraud that was exposed in 2014. Background The framework of relations between the EU and Moldova is the Association Agreement, which provides for stronger political association and economic integration and has generated steadily growing trade between the partners. The EU’s assistance supports the modernisation of Moldova through reforms for growth and jobs as well as for the respect of human rights and the strengthening of democracy. The EU has also agreed to provide macro-financial assistance to Moldova subject to the respect of precise and specific preconditions, including political preconditions. A memorandum of understanding, loan facility agreement and grant agreement for this macro-financial assistance was signed in November 2017.  26/2/2018  Human rights: EU adopts conclusions on EU priorities at United Nations human rights fora in 2018 On 26 February 2017, the Council adopted conclusions on EU priorities at United Nations human rights fora in 2018. In this year marking the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the conclusions underline that the EU strongly supports the pledge by the UN Secretary General to raise the profile of human rights and to make prevention and sustainable peace a priority of the UN system, by tackling root causes of conflicts, including by addressing human rights violations and abuses. The EU also reiterates its strong position that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and inter-related. Council conclusions on EU priorities at UN human rights are adopted on a yearly basis. They set out the main lines of action for the EU at UN human rights fora in the coming months. 26/2/2018  North Korea: EU aligns sanctions with latest UN Security Council resolution The Council increased the restrictive measures against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) by finalising the transposition into EU law of the measures imposed by the latest UN Security Council resolution 2397 (2017).  The measures transposed today include: the strengthening of the export ban to the DPRK of all refined petroleum products by reducing the amount of barrels that may be exported from 2 million barrels to 500,000 barrels per year; a ban on imports from the DPRK of food and agricultural products, machinery, electrical equipment, earth and stone, and wood; a ban on exports to the DPRK of all industrial machinery, transportation vehicles, and expansion to all iron, steel and other metals; further maritime restrictive measures against vessels where there are reasonable grounds to believe that the vessel has been involved in the breach of UN sanctions; the requirement to repatriate all DPRK workers abroad within 24 months, subject to applicable national and international law. The full prohibition on the export of crude oil provided for in resolution 2397 (2017) had already been introduced in the EU on 16 October 2017. When it adopted the measures, the UN Security Council reaffirmed in its resolution 2397 (2017) that the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, as well as their means of delivery, constitute a threat to international peace and security. The EU has repeatedly expressed its expectation that the DPRK engage in a credible and meaningful dialogue aimed at pursuing the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula.   The legal acts adopted today by the Council also took into account that 3 persons and one entity listed by the EU autonomously were now listed by the UN. The number of persons and entities under restrictive measures against the DPRK is 79 persons and 54 entities as listed by the UN and 55 persons and 9 entities designated by the EU autonomously. The additional listings imposed by the UNSC resolution 2397 (2017) were transposed into EU law on 8 January 2018. The EU had added an additional 17 individuals to its own sanctions list on 22 January 2018. 26/2/2018  Syria: EU adds two new ministers to sanctions list On 26 February 2018, the Council added the Minister of Industry and the Minister of Information of the government of Syria to the list of those targeted by EU restrictive measures against the Syrian regime in view of the gravity of the situation in the country. These additions were made to take into account recent ministerial changes, as both ministers were appointed in January 2018. Today's decision brings to 257 persons the total number of persons targeted by a travel ban and an assets freeze for being responsible for the violent repression against the civilian population in Syria, benefiting from or supporting the regime, and/or being associated with such persons. In addition, 67 entities are targeted by an assets freeze. More broadly, sanctions currently in place against Syria include an oil embargo, restrictions on certain investments, a freeze of the assets of the Syrian central bank held in the EU, export restrictions on equipment and technology that might be used for internal repression as well as on equipment and technology for the monitoring or interception of internet or telephone communications. These measures were last extended on 29 May 2017 and are in place until 1 June 2018. The EU remains committed to finding a lasting political solution to the conflict in Syria under the existing UN-agreed framework. As stated in the EU strategy on Syria adopted in April 2017, the EU believes that there can be no military solution to the conflict and strongly supports the work of the UN Special Envoy and the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva.