EU Removes Libya's Aguila Saleh from Sanctions List

The Council of the European Union (EU) decided on Friday to remove Speaker of the Libyan Parliament Aguila Saleh from the list of inpiduals and entities subject to restrictive measures concerning the Libyan conflict.

The council also removed and Nuri Abu Sahmain, the former president of the internationally unrecognized General National Congress of Libya, from the list, according to a statement released by the council.

The two leading political figures had been subject to EU restrictive measures – a travel ban and an asset freeze – since 2016.

The delisting of Saleh was agreed in terms of his recent constructive engagement in support of a negotiated political solution to the Libyan crisis.

The statement pointed out that the council would continue to follow his behavior closely, notably in relation to his support for the Berlin Process and the efforts of the UN mission to Libya (UNSMIL).

The delisting of Abu Sahmain was agreed based on the overall absence of any recent role in the Libyan political process.

The EU welcomed the announcements made on 21 August by Saleh and President of the Libyan Presidency Council Fayez al-Sarraj, adding that the pair accelerated promising developments in Libya and gave the chance for moving the Libyan transition forward towards completion through a Libyan-led and Libyan-owned political process.

Today’s decision underlined the strategic use of the EU’s sanctions regime, following developments on the ground. Restrictive measures are intended to bring about a change in policy or activity by entities and inpiduals responsible for malign behavior and are of a proportionate, targeted, and non-punitive nature.

The statement also referred that the delisting is appropriate wherever the criteria for listing are no longer met, as was the case here.