Council Regulation (EU) No 168/2012 of 27 February 2012 amending Regulation (EU) No 36/2012 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, and in particular Article 215 thereof,

Having regard to Council Decision 2011/782/CFSP of 1 December 2011 concerning restrictive measures against Syria (1),

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

Whereas:

(1) On 18 January 2012, the Council adopted Regulation (EU) No 36/2012 (2).

(2) In view of the continued brutal repression and violation of human rights by the Government of Syria, Council Decision 2012/122/CFSP (3) amending Decision 2011/782/CFSP provides for additional measures, namely a prohibition on the sale, purchase, transportation or brokering of gold, precious metals and diamonds, restrictive measures against the Central Bank of Syria, and amendments to the list of targeted persons and entities.

(3) Those measures fall within the scope of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and regulatory action at the level of the Union is therefore necessary in order to implement them, in particular with a view to ensuring their uniform application by economic operators in all Member States.

(4) Regulation (EU) No 36/2012 should therefore be amended accordingly.

(5) In order to ensure that the measures provided for in this Regulation are effective, this Regulation must enter into force immediately,

HAS ADOPTED THIS REGULATION:

Article 1

Regulation (EU) No 36/2012 is hereby amended as follows:

Article 2

The persons and entity listed in Annex I to this Regulation shall be added to the list set out in Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 36/2012.

Article 3

The person listed in Annex II to this Regulation shall be deleted from the list set out in Annex II to Regulation (EU) No 36/2012.

Article 4

The text set out in Annex III to this Regulation is added to Regulation (EU) No 36/2012 as Annex VIII.

Article 5

This Regulation shall enter into force on the day of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all Member States.

Done at Brussels, 27 February 2012.

For the Council The President C. ASHTON

(1) OJ L 319, 2.12.2011, p. 56.

(2) OJ L 16, 19.1.2012, p. 1.

(3) See page 14 of this Official Journal.