Charles Tannock, on behalf of the ECR Group. – Madam President, the recent report of the UN Human Rights Office described the rule of law as being virtually absent in Venezuela; this is truly shocking. Accounts that the government forces are now responsible for extrajudicial killings, seemingly with impunity, must surely represent a new low, even for the Maduro regime. As inflation reaches 40 000 percent, the economy continues to tumble, with basic food and medical supplies in desperately short supply. Such problems are contributing to a worsening refugee crisis that is seeing ordinary Venezuelans flee to neighbouring countries like Colombia, Peru and Brazil.

I now welcome the Council decision last month to add another 11 names to the sanctions list, bringing the total to 18. This must be widened to include all those directly connected to the Maduro brutal regime in power in the near future. Beyond sanctions, however, it is difficult to see what more could be done to put pressure for fresh peaceful and democratic elections, given President Maduro’s willingness to embrace his new-found status as a global pariah.

We must also be prepared to receive citizens of EU descent coming from Venezuela, as many of them are dual nationals of countries like Portugal, Italy and Spain. So there may well be an influx, even crossing as far as to the European Union. But clearly the situation is becoming intolerable in Venezuela, which is such a rich country.