You're listening to the European Parliamentary Research Service podcast on EU sanctions.

Sanctions have become a key element of the EU's common foreign and security policy.

They're an essential tool for the promotion of peace, democracy and respect for the rule of law, human rights and international

law. But how do they work and are they effective? Stay with us.

The EU has traditionally been perceived as a soft power with limited ability to act politically

and militarily. Whether that's true or not is a totally different discussion.

What is true is that it was not until the 1980s that the EU began to adopt its own sanctions

independently of the UN. Since then, they've become an increasingly central element of

the EU's foreign and security policy and their number has increased from just six in 1991

to 311 at present.

But what do we mean when we talk about sanctions?

Well, sanctions cannot be understood in a political vacuum.

They're part of a comprehensive policy approach involving political dialogue, diplomacy, trade and cultural relations, and the use of other instruments.

They seek to persuade others to do things they otherwise wouldn't

or perhaps lead them to pay a higher price to do something than they otherwise might,

with the overall objective being to safeguard our values and our security

to preserve peace and consolidate democracy and human rights

and to prevent conflicts and strengthen international security.

To this end, sanctions can target governments, companies, groups and organizations, as well as individuals

that go against these values and principles. So sanctions can target terrorism, nuclear proliferation

activities, human rights violations, the annexation of foreign territory, or the destabilization of a sovereign country,

as happened in Ukraine.

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