EU Releases Sanctions Map and Travel Ban Tool 

Photo source: @EU_Finance

Travelers will be able to learn about whether a specific region or territory is subject to a travel ban under sanctions measures with the newly published EU Sanctions Map tool, the European Commission recently announced.

The EU Sanctions Map includes a list of destinations subject, under EU sanctions to travel restrictions as well as a consolidated list of persons not allowed to come into the EU because they are under a travel ban. The aim, the Commission said, is to provide easily accessible information about adopted EU restrictive measures (sanctions).

The sanctions tool is available to member states as well as EU residents and invites users (whistle-blowers) to report violations of EU sanctions with protected identity.

Information on the map will be updated following changes to existing sanctions regimes or when new sanctions have come into force.

Sanctions are an essential tool for the EU to respond to emerging crises or prevent conflict.

If you are aware of possible violations of any 🇪🇺 sanctions you can report it anonymously on this whistleblower platform from @EU_Commission.

👉 https://t.co/f2i2kjALBi #EUsanctions pic.twitter.com/WGFWHNacF1

— EU Finance 🇪🇺 (@EU_Finance) April 25, 2022

“Travel bans are an integral element of our foreign policy toolbox and an important feature of most EU sanctions regimes. Since 2014, the Council has imposed travel bans against 1,091 individuals in response to their actions violating Ukraine’s sovereignty. Since the start of the illegal Russian aggression in Ukraine this year, approximately 900 travel bans restricting entry into the territory of the EU have been imposed against individuals who support and facilitate that aggression,” said High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell, responsible for Common Foreign and Security Policy sanctions.

Additionally, the tool reveals where and who is under sanctions for chemical weapons, cyber-attacks, human rights, and terrorism.

“It is important that there is full transparency on this issue and for our citizens to know which individuals are subject to travel bans. We have now updated our publicly accessible tool, which helps facilitate the implementation of our sanctions,” said Commissioner Mairead McGuinness, responsible for sanctions implementation, financial services, financial stability and Capital Markets Union.

Currently, the EU has over 40 different sanctions regimes in place. Some are mandated by the United Nations Security Council, whereas others are adopted autonomously by the EU.

You can find the EU Sanctions map here.