Washington, 9 January 2025 (MIA) - United States President Joe Biden signed an executive order amending existing sanctions measures. These sanctions target individuals and groups involved in ongoing attempts to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries of the Western Balkans.

The sanctions were imposed in response to activities that undermine post-war agreements and institutions, as well as serious forms of corruption that undermine the rule of law and trust in democratic institutions. The sanctions also target individuals who attempt to evade sanctions imposed by the United States Government.

According to the decision Executive Order 14033 is amended by striking section 1 and inserting, in lieu thereof, the following:

“Section 1. (a) All property and interests in property that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of any United States person of the following persons are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in: any person determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State:

(i) to be responsible for or complicit in, or to have directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in, actions or policies that threaten the peace, security, stability, or territorial integrity of any area or state in the Western Balkans;

(ii) to be responsible for or complicit in, including by involvement in developing, or to have directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in, actions or policies that undermine democratic processes or institutions in the Western Balkans;

(iii) to be responsible for or complicit in, or to have directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in, a violation of, or an act that has obstructed or threatened the implementation of, any regional security, peace, cooperation, or mutual recognition agreement or framework or accountability mechanism, or to pose a significant risk of committing such an act, related to the Western Balkans, including the Prespa Agreement of 2018; the Ohrid Framework Agreement of 2001; United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244; the Dayton Accords; or the Conclusions of the Peace Implementation Conference Council held in London in December 1995, including the decisions or conclusions of the High Representative, the Peace Implementation Council, or its Steering Board; or the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, or, with respect to the former Yugoslavia, the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals;

(iv) to be responsible for or complicit in, or to have directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in, serious human rights abuse in the Western Balkans;

(v) to be responsible for or complicit in, or to have directly or indirectly engaged or attempted to engage in, corruption related to the Western Balkans, including corruption by, on behalf of, or otherwise related to a government in the Western Balkans, or a current or former government official at any level of government in the Western Balkans, such as the misappropriation of public assets, expropriation of private assets for personal gain or political purposes, or bribery;

(vi) to be a leader, official, or member of an entity, including a government entity, that has engaged in, or attempted to engage in, any of the activities described in subsections (1)(a)(i)-(v) of this order, or whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order;

(vii) to have materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order;

(viii) to be owned or controlled by, or to have acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order;

(ix) to own or control, directly or indirectly, any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order; or

(x) to be a spouse or adult child of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to subsections (1)(a)(i)-(v) of this order.

(b) The prohibitions in subsection (a) of this section apply except to the extent provided by statutes, or in regulations, orders, directives, or licenses that may be issued pursuant to this order, and notwithstanding any contract entered into or any license or permit granted before the date of this order.”

Photo: MIA archive