COUNCIL REGULATION (EU) No 401/2013
of 2 May 2013
concerning restrictive measures in respect of Myanmar/Burma and repealing Regulation (EC) No 194/2008
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,
Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 215 thereof,
Having regard to Council Decision 2013/184/CFSP of 22 April 2013 concerning restrictive measures against Myanmar/Burma (1),
Having regard to the joint proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the Commission,
Whereas:
(1)
Regulation (EC) No 194/2008 of 25 February 2008 renewing and strengthening the restrictive measures in respect of Burma/Myanmar (2) provides for certain measures to be taken in relation to Myanmar/Burma, including restrictions on certain exports from Myanmar/Burma and a freezing of the assets of certain individuals and entities.
(2)
By Decision 2013/184/CFSP, the Council agreed, as a means of encouraging positive changes to continue, that all those restrictive measures should be lifted, with the exception of the arms embargo and the embargo on equipment which might be used for internal repression.
(3)
Council Regulation (EC) No 194/2008 should therefore be repealed, and certain of its provisions replaced by this Regulation.
(4)
In order to ensure that the measures provided for in this Regulation are effective, this Regulation should enter into force on the day of its publication,
HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:
Article 1
For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions apply:
(1)
‧import‧ means any entry of goods into the customs territory of the Union or other territories to which the Treaty applies, under the conditions laid down in Articles 349 and 355 thereof. It includes, within the meaning of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 of 12 October 1992 establishing the Community Customs Code (3), placing in a free zone or free warehouse, placing under a suspensive procedure and release for free circulation, but it excludes transit and temporary storage;
(2)
‧export‧ means any departure of goods from the customs territory of the Union or other territories to which the Treaty applies, under the conditions laid down in Articles 349 and 355 thereof. It includes, within the meaning of Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92, the departure of goods that requires a customs declaration and the departure of goods after their storage in a free zone of control type I or free warehouse, but it excludes transit;
(3)
‧exporter‧ means any natural or legal person on whose behalf an export declaration is made, being the person who, at the time when the declaration is accepted, holds the contract with the consignee in the third country and has the power for determining the sending of the item out of the customs territory of the Union or other territories to which the Treaty applies;
(4)
‧technical assistance‧ means any technical support related to repairs, development, manufacture, assembly, testing, maintenance, or any other technical service, and may take such forms as instruction, advice, training, transmission of working knowledge or skills or consulting services; technical assistance shall include verbal forms of assistance;
(5)
‧territory of the Union‧ means the territories to which the Treaty is applicable, under the conditions laid down in the Treaty.
CHAPTER 1
Article 2
1. It shall be prohibited to sell, supply, transfer or export, directly or indirectly, equipment which might be used for internal repression as listed in Annex I, whether or not originating in the Union, to any natural or legal person, entity or body in, or for use in Myanmar/Burma.
2. Paragraph 1 shall not apply to protective clothing, including flak jackets and helmets, temporarily exported to Myanmar/Burma by United Nations personnel, personnel of the European Union or its Member States, representatives of the media and humanitarian and development workers and associated personnel for their personal use only.
Article 3
1. It shall be prohibited:
(a)
to provide technical assistance related to military activities and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of arms and related materiel of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment, and spare parts for the aforementioned, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in, or for use in Myanmar/Burma;
(b)
to provide financing or financial assistance related to military activities, including, in particular, grants, loans and export credit insurance for any sale, supply, transfer or export of arms and related materiel, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in, or for use in Myanmar/Burma.
2. It shall be prohibited:
(a)
to provide technical assistance related to the equipment which might be used for internal repression as listed in Annex I, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in, or for use in Myanmar/Burma;
(b)
to provide financing or financial assistance related to the equipment listed in Annex I, including, in particular, grants, loans and export credit insurance, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in, or for use in Myanmar/Burma.
3. It shall be prohibited to participate, knowingly and intentionally, in activities the object or effect of which is to circumvent the prohibitions referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2.
4. The prohibitions set out in paragraphs 1(b) and 2(b) shall not give rise to liability of any kind on the part of the natural or legal persons or entities concerned, if they did not know, and had no reasonable cause to suspect, that their actions would infringe those prohibitions.
Article 4
1. By way of derogation from Articles 2(1) and 3(2), and subject to Article 5, the competent authorities in the Member States, as indicated in the websites listed in Annex II, may authorise, under such conditions as they deem appropriate:
(a)
the sale, supply, transfer or export of equipment which might be used for internal repression as listed in Annex I, intended solely for humanitarian or protective use, or for institution-building programmes of the United Nations and the European Union, or for European Union and United Nations crisis-management operations;
(b)
the sale, supply, transfer or export of de-mining equipment and material for use in de-mining operations; and
(c)
the provision of financing and financial assistance and technical assistance related to equipment, material, programmes and operations referred to in points (a) and (b).
2. By way of derogation from Article 3(1), and subject to Article 5, the competent authorities in the Member States, as listed in Annex II, may authorise, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, the provision of financing and financial assistance and technical assistance related to:
(a)
non-lethal military equipment intended solely for humanitarian or protective use, or for institution-building programmes of the United Nations and the European Union;
(b)
materiel intended for European Union and United Nations crisis-management operations.
CHAPTER 2
Article 5
The authorisations referred to in Article 4 shall not be granted for activities that have already taken place.
Article 6
The Commission and Member States shall immediately inform each other of the measures taken under this Regulation and shall supply each other with any other relevant information at their disposal in connection with this Regulation, in particular information in respect of violation and enforcement problems and judgments handed down by national courts.
Article 7
The Commission shall be empowered to amend Annex II on the basis of information supplied by Member States.
Article 8
1. Member States shall lay down the rules on penalties applicable to infringements of the provisions of this Regulation and shall take all measures necessary to ensure that they are implemented. The penalties provided for must be effective, proportionate and dissuasive.
2. Member States shall notify the Commission of those rules without delay after the entry into force of this Regulation and shall notify it of any subsequent amendment.
Article 9
1. Member States shall designate the competent authorities referred to in this Regulation and identify them in, or through, the websites listed in Annex II.
2. Member States shall notify the Commission of their competent authorities without delay after the entry into force of this Regulation and shall notify it of any subsequent changes.
Article 10
This Regulation shall apply:
(a)
within the territory of the Union, including its airspace;
(b)
on board any aircraft or any vessel under the jurisdiction of a Member State;
(c)
to any person inside or outside the territory of the Union who is a national of a Member State;
(d)
to any legal person, entity or body which is incorporated or constituted under the law of a Member State;
(e)
to any legal person, entity or body in respect of any business done in whole or in part within the Union.
Article 11
Regulation (EC) No 194/2008 is hereby repealed.
Article 12
This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.
Done at Brussels, 2 May 2013.