By Nicola Smith - 4th February 2004
Opponents and critics of Robert Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe are poised for disappointment later this month, as EU governments roll over Europe's sanctions against Harare without giving them any extra clout.
The roll-over of the punitive measures, which are due to expire on February 20, has been strongly backed by EU member states, including France which has been traditionally more reluctant towards the sanctions.
But while officials stress that they are still thrashing out the details, the strong sense from within national delegations at the EU's Council of Ministers is that little is likely to alter.
And this despite very public pressure from Mugabe's leading opposition party the Movement for Democratic Change, and constant outbursts from an outraged European Parliament at Europe's failure to lend its foreign policy any real teeth.
“We do not expect major changes in scope,” said one well-placed council source.
Another EU diplomat close to the current talks said that there may be a “small shift in focus,” with the addition of extra names on sanctions list to take account of changes in government.
EU nations slapped diplomatic sanctions on Harare two years ago, imposing a visa travel ban on the president and other Zimbabwean officials and an arms sales ban.
Zimbabwean assets in Europe were also frozen after President Robert Mugabe failed to improve his regime’s human rights record.
While the decision to renew sanctions will thwart Mugabe’s best efforts to lift the ban, it will come as a blow to opponents of his regime.
The MDC has called for punitive measures to be applied also to companies “that are pillars of the regime.”
But calls for restrictions on the firms listed have struggled to find support within the council, even from the UK, the loudest proponent of stronger sanctions.
The introduction of “trade sanctions” could “demonstrably affect people very badly” said one UK official.
The decision, expected to be passed on the nod by justice and home affairs ministers on February 19, will also take little account of the European Parliament’s pressure to intensify the sanctions.
MEPs in December urged the rescinding of rights of residence in the EU of those subject to a travel ban and the prevention of their family members accessing employment and educational institutions in Europe.
“I will be very disappointed if the EU does not use this opportunity to make its sanctions more effective and to introduce tough new measures,” said UK Conservative MEP Geoffrey van Orden.
“Mugabe has bankrupted his country and his regime is now hugely dependent on those business leaders that back it. The EU must take action against those bankrolling Mugabe.”
MEPs have also expressed frustration that travel bans on high-profile Zimbabwean politicians have been flouted by several member states.
And the European Court of Auditors recently criticised the handling of European development aid funds to Zimbabwe.
A report first revealed by the Brussels-based magazine The Sprout, shows that until 2002, a fixed EU exchange rate, which bore no relation to black market realities, reduced the value of European Development Fund resources by 89 per cent.
The vast differences in exchange rates between the official value of the Zimbabwean dollar and the black market value, “reduces the effectiveness of the aid to the people of Zimbabwe,” it concluded.
A commission spokesman said that since 2002, the EU executive had taken significant measures to address the problem.
Around 70 per cent of the EU’s assistance in the health sector and food aid, which accounts for 60 per cent of the entire budget, was now purchased abroad to avoid the exchange rate issue, he said.
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