Following the Extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council meeting convened today in response to the attacks on the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, the EU has announced that it will extend the designated party controls that were adopted in March 2014 until September 2015. During the official press conference that followed the meeting, High Representative Vice-President Mogherini described the situation on the ground as “extremely worrying and negative“. The Council has called on the High Representative and the European Commission to present a proposal within the next week on potential further designations, which will be decided upon at the next Foreign Affairs Council meeting on 9 February 2015. It has also instructed the Commission and the EEAS to start “further preparatory work“ on “any appropriate action, aiming at ensuring a swift and comprehensive implementation of the Minsk agreements“.
