Council Regulation (EU) No 401/2013 of 2 May 2013 concerning restrictive measures in respect of Myanmar/Burma and repealing Regulation (EC) No 194/2008

Article 1

For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions apply:

(a) ‘claim’ means any claim, whether asserted by legal proceedings or not, made before or after the date of entry into force of this Regulation, under or in connection with a contract or transaction, and includes in particular: (i) a claim for performance of any obligation arising under or in connection with a contract or transaction; (ii) a claim for extension or payment of a bond, financial guarantee or indemnity of whatever form; (iii) a claim for compensation in respect of a contract or transaction; (iv) a counterclaim; (v) a claim for the recognition or enforcement, including by the procedure of exequatur, of a judgment, an arbitration award or an equivalent decision, wherever made or given;

(b) ‘contract or transaction’ means any transaction of whatever form and whatever the applicable law, whether comprising one or more contracts or similar obligations made between the same or different parties; for this purpose ‘contract’ includes a bond, guarantee or indemnity, particularly a financial guarantee or financial indemnity, and credit, whether legally independent or not, as well as any related provision arising under, or in connection with, the transaction;

(c) ‘competent authorities’ refers to the competent authorities of the Member States as identified on the websites listed in Annex II;

(d) ‘economic resources’ means assets of every kind, whether tangible or intangible, movable or immovable, which are not funds, but may be used to obtain funds, goods or services;

(e) ‘freezing of economic resources’ means preventing the use of economic resources to obtain funds, goods or services in any way, including, but not limited to, by selling, hiring or mortgaging them;

(f) ‘freezing of funds’ means preventing any move, transfer, alteration, use of, access to, or dealing with funds in any way that would result in any change in their volume, amount, location, ownership, possession, character, destination or other change that would enable the funds to be used, including portfolio management;

(g) ‘funds’ means financial assets and benefits of every kind, including, but not limited to: (i) cash, cheques, claims on money, drafts, money orders and other payment instruments; (ii) deposits with financial institutions or other entities, balances on accounts, debts and debt obligations; (iii) publicly and privately traded securities and debt instruments, including stocks and shares, certificates representing securities, bonds, notes, warrants, debentures and derivatives contracts; (iv) interest, dividends or other income on or value accruing from or generated by assets; (v) credit, right of set-off, guarantees, performance bonds or other financial commitments; (vi) letters of credit, bills of lading, bills of sale; and (vii) documents showing evidence of an interest in funds or financial resources;

(h) ‘technical assistance’ means any technical support related to repairs, development, manufacture, assembly, testing, maintenance, or any other technical service, and may take forms such as instruction, advice, training, transmission of working knowledge or skills or consulting services, including verbal forms of assistance;

(i) ‘brokering services’ means: (i) the negotiation or arrangement of transactions for the purchase, sale or supply of goods and technology from a third country to any other third country, or (ii) the selling or buying of goods and technology that are located in third countries for their transfer to another third country;

(j) ‘import’ means any entry of goods into the customs territory of the Union or other territories to which the Treaty applies, under the conditions laid down in Articles 349 and 355 thereof. It includes, within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council (¹) laying down the Union Customs Code, placing in a free zone, placing under special procedure and release for free circulation, but it excludes transit or temporary storage;

(k) ‘export’ means any departure of goods from the customs territory of the Union or other territories to which the Treaty applies, under the conditions laid down in Articles 349 and 355 thereof. It includes, within the meaning of Regulation (EU) No 952/2013, the departure of goods that requires a customs declaration and the departure of goods after their storage in a free zone or after their placement under a special procedure, but it excludes transit or temporary storage;

(l) ‘exporter’ means any natural or legal person on whose behalf an export declaration is made, being the person who, at the time when the declaration is accepted, holds the contract with the consignee in the third country and has the power for determining the sending of the item out of the customs territory of the Union or other territories to which the Treaty applies;

(m) ‘territory of the Union’ means the territories of the Member States to which the Treaty is applicable, under the conditions laid down in the Treaty, including their airspace.

CHAPTER 1

Article 2

Article 3

It shall be prohibited:

(a) to provide technical assistance related to military activities and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of arms and related materiel of all types, including weapons and ammunition, military vehicles and equipment, paramilitary equipment, and spare parts for the aforementioned, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in, or for use in Myanmar/Burma;

(b) to provide financing or financial assistance related to military activities, including, in particular, grants, loans and export credit insurance for any sale, supply, transfer or export of arms and related materiel, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in, or for use in Myanmar/Burma.

It shall be prohibited:

(a) to provide technical assistance related to the equipment which might be used for internal repression as listed in Annex I, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in, or for use in Myanmar/Burma;

(b) to provide financing or financial assistance related to the equipment listed in Annex I, including, in particular, grants, loans and export credit insurance, directly or indirectly to any natural or legal person, entity or body in, or for use in Myanmar/Burma.

Article 3a

Where the end-user is the Myanmar's/Burma's military, any dual-use goods and technology procured by it shall be deemed to be for military use.

It shall be prohibited:

(a) to provide technical assistance, brokering services or other services related to goods and technology referred to in paragraph 1 and to the provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of these goods and technology, directly or indirectly to any military end-user, the Border Guard Police or for military use in Myanmar/Burma;

(b) to provide financing or financial assistance related to goods and technology referred to in paragraph 1, including in particular grants, loans and export credit insurance, for any sale, supply, transfer or export of these goods and technology, or for the provision of related technical assistance, brokering services or other services, directly or indirectly to any military end-user, the Border Guard Police or for military use in Myanmar/Burma.

Article 3b

Article 3c

Unless the competent authority of the relevant Member State, as identified on the websites listed in Annex II, has given prior authorisation in accordance with Article 3b, it shall be prohibited:

(a) to provide, directly or indirectly, technical assistance or brokering services related to the equipment, technology and software identified in Annex III, or related to the installation, provision, manufacture, maintenance and use of the equipment and technology identified in Annex III or to the provision, installation, operation or updating of any software identified in Annex III, to any person, entity or body in Myanmar/Burma or for use in Myanmar/Burma;

(b) to provide, directly or indirectly, financing or financial assistance related to the equipment, technology and software identified in Annex III to any person, entity or body in Myanmar/Burma or for use in Myanmar/Burma;

(c) to provide any telecommunication or internet monitoring or interception services of any kind to, or for the direct or indirect benefit of, Government of Myanmar/Burma, public bodies, corporations and agencies or any person or entity acting on their behalf or at their direction.

Article 4

By way of derogation from Articles 2(1), 3(2), 3a(1) and 3a(4), and subject to Article 5, the competent authorities in the Member States, as indicated in the websites listed in Annex II, may authorise, under such conditions as they deem appropriate:

(a) the sale, supply, transfer or export of equipment which might be used for internal repression as listed in Annex I or dual-use goods and technology listed in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 428/2009, intended solely for humanitarian or protective use, or for institution-building programmes of the United Nations and the European Union, or for European Union and United Nations crisis-management operations;

(b) the sale, supply, transfer or export of de-mining equipment and material for use in de-mining operations; and

(c) the provision of financing and financial assistance and technical assistance related to equipment, material, programmes and operations referred to in points (a) and (b).

By way of derogation from Article 3(1), and subject to Article 5, the competent authorities in the Member States, as listed in Annex II, may authorise, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, the provision of financing and financial assistance and technical assistance related to:

(a) non-lethal military equipment intended solely for humanitarian or protective use, or for institution-building programmes of the United Nations and the European Union;

(b) materiel intended for European Union and United Nations crisis-management operations.

Article 4a

Annex IV shall include:

(a) natural persons from the Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw), the Myanmar Police Force and the Border Guard Police responsible for serious human rights violations in Myanmar/Burma;

(b) natural and legal persons, entities or bodies whose actions, policies or activities undermine democracy or the rule of law in Myanmar/Burma, or who engage in, or provide support for, actions that threaten the peace, security or stability of Myanmar/Burma;

(c) natural persons from the Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw), the Myanmar Police Force and the Border Guard Police responsible for obstructing the provision of humanitarian assistance to civilians in need;

(d) natural persons from the Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw), the Myanmar Police Force and the Border Guard Police responsible for obstructing the conduct of independent investigations into alleged serious human rights violations or abuses;

(e) legal persons, entities or bodies owned or controlled by the Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw), or generating revenue for, providing support to or benefiting from the Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw);

(f) natural or legal persons, entities or bodies associated with those referred to in points (a) to (e).

Article 4b

By way of derogation from Article 4a, the competent authorities of the Member States as identified on the websites listed in Annex II, may authorise the release of certain frozen funds or economic resources, or the making available of certain funds or economic resources, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that the funds or economic resources are:

(a) necessary to satisfy the basic needs of natural and legal persons listed in Annex IV, and dependent family members of such natural persons, including payments for foodstuffs, rent or mortgage, medicines and medical treatment, taxes, insurance premiums and public utility charges;

(b) intended exclusively for payment of reasonable professional fees or reimbursement of incurred expenses associated with the provision of legal services;

(c) intended exclusively for payment of fees or service charges for routine holding or maintenance of frozen funds or economic resources;

(d) necessary for extraordinary expenses, provided that the relevant competent authority has notified the grounds on which it considers that a specific authorisation should be granted to the competent authorities of the other Member States and to the Commission at least two weeks prior to authorisation; or

(e) to be paid into or from an account of a diplomatic or consular mission or an international organisation enjoying immunities in accordance with international law, insofar as such payments are intended to be used for official purposes of the diplomatic or consular mission or international organisation.

Article 4c

By way of derogation from Article 4a, the competent authorities in the Member States as identified on the websites listed in Annex II, may authorise the release of certain frozen funds or economic resources if the following conditions are met:

(a) the funds or economic resources are subject to an arbitral decision rendered prior to the date on which the natural or legal person, entity or body referred to in Article 4a was included in Annex IV, or of a judicial or administrative decision rendered in the Union, or a judicial decision enforceable in the Member State concerned, prior to, on or after that date;

(b) the funds or economic resources will be used exclusively to satisfy claims secured by such a decision or recognised as valid in such a decision, within the limits set by applicable laws and regulations governing the rights of persons having such claims;

(c) the decision is not for the benefit of a natural or legal person, entity or body listed in Annex IV; and

(d) recognising the decision is not contrary to public policy in the Member State concerned.

Article 4d

By way of derogation from Article 4a and provided that a payment by a natural or legal person, entity or body listed in Annex IV is due under a contract or agreement that was concluded by, or an obligation that arose for, the natural or legal person, entity or body concerned before the date on which that natural or legal person, entity or body was included in Annex IV, the competent authorities of the Member States may authorise, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, the release of certain frozen funds or economic resources, provided that the competent authority concerned has determined that:

(a) the funds or economic resources are to be used for a payment by a natural or legal person, entity or body listed in Annex IV;

(b) the payment is not in breach of Article 4a(2)

Provided that any such interest, other earnings and payments are frozen in accordance with Article 4a, Article 4a(2) shall not apply to the addition to frozen accounts of:

(a) interest or other earnings on those accounts;

(b) payments due under contracts, agreements or obligations that were concluded or arose before the date on which the natural or legal person, entity or body referred to in Article 4a was included in Annex IV; or

(c) payments due under judicial, administrative or arbitral decisions rendered in a Member State or enforceable in the Member State concerned.

Article 4da

Article 4a (1) and (2) shall not apply to the making available of funds or economic resources necessary to ensure the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance or to support other activities that support basic human needs where such assistance and other activities are carried out by:

(a) the United Nations (UN), including its programmes, funds and other entities and bodies, as well as its specialised agencies and related organisations;

(b) international organisations;

(c) humanitarian organisations having observer status with the UN General Assembly and members of those humanitarian organisations;

(d) bilaterally or multilaterally funded non-governmental organisations participating in the UN Humanitarian Response Plans, UN Refugee Response Plans, other UN appeals or humanitarian clusters coordinated by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs;

(e) organisations and agencies to which the Union has granted the Humanitarian Partnership Certificate or which are certified or recognised by a Member State in accordance with national procedures;

(f) Member States’ specialised agencies; or

(g) the employees, grantees, subsidiaries or implementing partners of the entities referred to in points (a) to (f) while and to the extent that they are acting in those capacities.

Article 4db

By way of derogation from Article 4a, the competent authorities of a Member State may authorise the release of certain frozen funds or economic resources belonging to the entity listed in entry 10 in Annex IV, or the making available of certain funds or economic resources to that entity, under such conditions as the competent authorities deem appropriate, after having determined that such funds or economic resources are necessary for:

(a) tasks related to the decommissioning of oil and gas wells in accordance with international standards, such as waste disposal, site remediation activities required for safety and environmental restoration, the provision of related technical assistance, and the payment of related taxes and duties, as well as salaries and social benefits to employees; or

(b) the transfer before 31 July 2022 of shares or interests necessary for the termination of contracts concluded with the entity listed in entry 10 in Annex IV before 21 February 2022.

Article 4e

Without prejudice to the applicable rules concerning reporting, confidentiality and professional secrecy, natural and legal persons, entities and bodies shall:

(a) supply immediately any information which would facilitate compliance with this Regulation, such as information on accounts and amounts frozen in accordance with Article 4a, to the competent authority of the Member State where they are resident or located, and shall transmit such information, directly or through the Member State, to the Commission; and

(b) cooperate with the competent authority in any verification of the information referred to in point (a).

Article 4f

Article 4g

It shall be prohibited to participate, knowingly and intentionally, in activities the object or effect of which is to circumvent the measures laid down in this Regulation.

Article 4h

No claims in connection with any contract or transaction the performance of which has been affected, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, by the measures imposed under this Regulation, including claims for indemnity or any other claim of this type, such as a claim for compensation or a claim under a guarantee, in particular a claim for extension or payment of a bond, guarantee or indemnity, in particular a financial guarantee or financial indemnity, of whatever form, shall be satisfied, if they are made by:

(a) designated natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed in Annex IV;

(b) any natural or legal person, entity or body acting through or on behalf of one of the persons, entities or bodies referred to in point (a).

Article 4i