Background to the sanctions
In February 2003 the EU introduced sanctions in the form of travel restrictions against the leadership of the breakaway republic of Transnistria in Moldova. The aim was to exert pressure on the Transnistrian leadership to take steps to achieve a solution to the conflict that has been going on since 1990, when Transnistria declared its independence, which led to an armed conflict between Moldovan government forces and Transnistrian forces. Since 1990 the government of Moldova has in fact had no control over Transnistria, which is governed by the self-proclaimed president Igor Smirnov. The restrictions apply to a number of persons who represent the regime in Transnistria, including the 'president', the 'foreign minister' and the 'speaker'.
In August 2004 the measures were broadened to include a number of people responsible for a campaign against schools in Transnistria that use the Latin alphabet. The Latin alphabet is normally used for Moldavian, while the Cyrillic alphabet is used by the largely Russian-speaking Transnistria.
To encourage progress in reaching a political solution to the conflict and addressing the problems of the Romanian-language schools, application of the restrictive measures was revoked in 2008 until further notice.
Since the restrictive measures cannot yet be considered to have achieved their purpose, they have been extended on several occasions, most recently until 30 September 2012. At the same time, it was decided that application of the restrictions was to be suspended for an additional six months, until 31 March 2012.
The travel restrictions prevent the persons covered by them from entering or passing through the territory of EU Member States. Certain exemptions may be granted, for example to attend international conferences organised by the UN. The rules are summarised in the EU Common Position 2008/160/CFSP.
