Notice

Notice to exporters 2017/25: new EU sanctions against Venezuela

Published 15 November 2017

This notice was withdrawn on

This content has been withdrawn because it is out of date. See current information on UK sanctions relating to Venezuela.

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/notice-to-exporters-201725-new-eu-sanctions-against-venezuela/notice-to-exporters-201725-new-eu-sanctions-against-venezuela

On 13 November 2017 the European Union imposed new sanctions against Venezuela. The new measures are contained in Council Decision 2017/2074/CFSP and Council Regulation (EU) No 2017/2063.

The restrictive measures came into force on 14 November 2017 and include:

Arms embargo

The UK interprets the arms embargo as applying to all items on the UK Military List. There are related prohibitions on the provision of technical assistance, financing and financial assistance, brokering services, and other related services.

Prohibition on the supply of equipment which might be used for internal repression

There are related prohibitions on the provision of technical assistance, financing and financial assistance, brokering services, and other related services.

Equipment for monitoring communications

A licence will be required for the supply of equipment, technology or software intended primarily for use in the monitoring or interception of internet or telephone communications on mobile or fixed networks in Venezuela. The goods and technologies affected are listed in Annex II to Council Regulation 2017/2063. There are related prohibitions on the provision of technical assistance, financing and financial assistance and brokering services.

There is a prohibition on the provision of telecommunication or internet monitoring or interception services to Venezuela’s government or associated bodies.

The new sanctions permit member states to authorise transactions, prohibited by the arms embargo, which concern the execution of a contract or an agreement concluded before 13 November 2017.

Licence applicants wishing to rely on these exemptions must notify the export control joint unit (ECJU) of the contract within 5 working days from the entry into force of the Regulation and provide a copy of the relevant contract or agreement in support of their licence application.

The existence of a relevant contract does not guarantee that a licence will be granted. Licence applications for military and dual-use items not prohibited by the new sanctions will continue to be assessed against the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria in the usual way.

The export control joint unit (ECJU) is currently reviewing all extant export and trade control licences for Venezuela in light of the new EU sanctions. Any licence holders affected by these new measures will be contacted directly. We will provide further information in the next few days. We will also be amending the relevant open general export licences to remove Venezuela as a permitted destination.

Financial sanctions

There are also financial sanctions against Venezuela; further information is available from the office for financial sanctions implementation.

The technologies concerned are defined in Article 6 and 7 and Annex II of Council Regulation No 2017/2063.

A licence is required for:

  • sale, supply, transfer or export of the listed technologies to Venezuela, or for any other country if the technologies are for use in Venezuela
  • provision of technical assistance, brokering services, financing and financial assistance related to the sale, supply, transfer or export of these technologies to Venezuela or for use in Venezuela
  • provision of telecommunication or internet monitoring or interception services to Venezuela’s government or associated entities.

A licence will not be granted for the above if there are reasonable grounds to determine that the equipment, technology, software or services would be used primarily for internal repression monitoring or interception, by Venezuela’s government, public bodies, corporations and agencies or any person or entity acting on their behalf or at their direction.

What date do the new restrictions come into force?

The restrictions came into force on 14 November 2017.

How do I apply for a licence?

Licence applications must be submitted to the ECJU in the Department for International Trade via SPIRE, the online export licensing system.

What information must I provide in support of a licence application?

You must provide full details of:

  • goods and/or technology you wish to export or service you wish to provide
  • consignee and, if different, the end-user of the goods as well as any third party involved in the transaction
  • intended end-use of the goods, including (where known) the project name and the location where the goods will be used

What happens then?

The ECJU will consider your application carefully against the terms of the EU sanctions. You may be asked to provide further information or clarification. You will be informed of the outcome of your application via the SPIRE system. The ECJU aims to deal with licence applications promptly, however because these are new restrictions we cannot at this time give an estimate as to how long it will take to process these applications.

How will government ensure compliance?

We expect all UK companies to comply fully with the sanctions, and government is committed to helping businesses comply. HMRC and border force are responsible for ensuring compliance with export controls and trade sanctions and they have a range of measures available to them to ensure this. The unlicensed export of controlled goods is a criminal offence and serious and deliberate evasion of the controls may lead to prosecution.

Find out more about the ECJU, SPIRE and the export licensing process.

While the government can give general advice and guidance about the scope of these new restrictions and how to comply with them, we cannot give legal advice – companies requiring legal advice should make their own arrangements.

Contact details

General queries about strategic export licensing

Export Control Joint Unit
Department for Business and Trade
Old Admiralty Building
Admiralty Place
London
SW1A 2DY

Email exportcontrol.help@businessandtrade.gov.uk

Telephone 020 7215 4594

More information on export controls is available on the ECJU pages of the GOV.UK website, also the SPIRE export licensing database.

You can find:

This notice is for information only and has no force in law. If the information here applies to your business, we recommend you take appropriate action, including seeking legal advice if necessary.

Stay up to date

This page tells you what to do if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. It will be updated if anything changes, including if a deal is agreed.

Find out about the new regulations that would come into effect under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 (the Sanctions Act).

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