Specific restrictive measures directed against persons acting in violation of the arms embargo with regard to the Democratic Republic of the Congo

 The committee adopted the report by Jean-Marie CAVADA (ALDE, FR) broadly approving the proposal under the consultation procedure, subject to a few amendments:

- pointing out that the list of persons and entities whose assets should be frozen, which is supposed to be included in Annex 1 to the draft regulation, contains no names at present as the Council has yet to establish the procedure for drawing up the list, the committee said that it seemed contrary to the Treaty to submit to Parliament for consultation a text containing an empty annex. MEPs therefore proposed deleting the annex from the body of the regulation and stipulating that the list should be drawn up as an implementing measure by the Commission pursuant to Article 9. Provision should be made for Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee and Development Committee to be given details of the list in advance on a confidential basis;

- any information supplied to the Commission by the persons and entities concerned should be used "solely for the period necessary for the carrying-out of the operations to freeze assets", and should be subject to data protection rules;

- where funds have been unjustly frozen, those concerned should receive reimbursement "commensurate with the nature and extent of the damage unjustly inflicted";

- the regulation should contain a specific reference to the 2000 Cotonou Agreement.