Introductory text

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Article 28(1) thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,

Whereas:

On 14 April 2015, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution (UNSCR) 2216 (2015), which imposed an embargo on the supply, sale or transfer of arms and related materiel of all types to Ali Abdullah Saleh, the former President of Yemen, and certain other persons, as well as other persons and entities to be designated by the relevant Security Council Sanctions Committee.

Pursuant to a request by the Government of Yemen of 6 August 2015, and in accordance with UNSCR 2216 (2015), the Secretary General of the United Nations, by a letter to the Government of Yemen dated 11 August 2015, agreed to institute a United Nations (UN) verification and inspection mechanism (‘UNVIM’) with the aim of facilitating the unimpeded flow of commercial items to Yemen and to revive the economy of the country.

On 5 May 2016, UNVIM became operational. The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) operationalises and manages UNVIM on behalf of the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), the Government of Yemen, and the UN Member States concerned.

On 3 April 2017, the Council stressed the importance of ensuring the effective and timely processing for commercial shipping to Yemen and expressed its full support to the continuation of UNVIM and the full and unhindered implementation of its mandate. The Council also called for the full implementation of the targeted arms embargo imposed by the UN Security Council, and, in this regard, reiterated the strict application of the rules set out in Council Common Position 2008/944/CFSP^f1.

On 27 December 2017, UNVIM made a proposal aiming at strengthening and expanding its activities for a further one year period until March 2019, in particular by further accelerating the clearance process of commercial shipments, and by increasing its ability to deploy additional personnel and resources in the ports concerned. This reinforcement requires support to increase UNVIM's staff and acquire additional inspection equipment. The Union should contribute financially to such support.

On 25 June 2018, the Council stressed the importance of ensuring effective and timely processing for commercial shipping in the ports concerned, including fuel, and expressed its full support to the continuation of UNVIM and the full and unhindered implementation of its mandate, and decided to consider a reinforcement of UNVIM.

The technical implementation of this Decision should be entrusted to UNOPS. The Union's contribution to UNVIM will be instrumental in enabling UNVIM to continue fulfilling its tasks of monitoring and inspection services that ensure that commercial cargos entering Yemen territorial waters are compliant with UNSCR 2216 (2015). Should UNVIM's mandate or needs change in a way that questions the adequacy or relevance of the project in achieving its objectives, the Union contribution will have to be reassessed accordingly.

The supervision of the proper implementation of the Union's financial contribution should be entrusted to the Commission,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION: