Ireland does not implement unilateral sanctions. Ireland implements EU and UN sanctions.
Sanctions measures adopted by the UN are binding on all UN Member States. They are typically implemented in the EU through EU measures (such as Council Decisions and Council Regulations), in order to ensure their consistent implementation in all EU Member States.
In addition to implementing UN sanctions, the EU adopts sanctions (also known as “restrictive measures” in the EU context) of its own, under its Common Foreign and Security Policy (Article 215 TFEU), as well as in relation to “preventing and combating terrorism and related activities” (Article 75 TFEU). These are known as “autonomous” EU sanctions.
EU Regulations have direct effect in Irish law, meaning that they must be complied with in the same way as domestic Irish legislation.
A full overview of all EU restrictive measures, with an outline of the regime, objective, type and links to legal texts and guidelines can be accessed at the EU sanctions map: www.sanctionsmap.eu/#/main.
Sanctions are an important tool to promote the objectives of the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) in response to breaches of international law. EU sanctions are always targeted, and seek to bring about a change in the policy or behaviour of the target of the measures.
