The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Wednesday that the bloc is moving forward with basic legal measures to impose sanctions on members of the military junta that seized power in Niger last month.
Borrell stated that the union will aim to follow in the footsteps of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) by taking the same measures.
Borrell told reporters, “We will follow the same approach and try to implement the same sanctions they imposed,” during a meeting with defense ministers of European Union member states in Toledo, Spain.
Borrell added that he would propose the creation of a legal framework for sanctions against those responsible for the coup when meeting with European Union foreign ministers tomorrow, Thursday, also in Toledo.
And by announcing the European Union’s commitment that it will follow the example of ECOWAS decisions regarding sanctions, Borrell seems to stick to a slogan that the European Union has emphasized since the July 26 coup, which is that any solution to the crisis should be African-led.
But when Borrell was asked whether the European Union would provide financial support if ECOWAS decided to intervene militarily in Niger, Borrell replied that the European Union would consider any such request instead of automatically approving it.
“We have not received any specific requests,” he added.
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