Council Decision (CFSP) 2020/1657

of 6 November 2020

amending Decision (CFSP) 2019/1894 concerning restrictive measures in view of Turkey’s unauthorised drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION,

Having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and in particular Article 29 thereof,

Having regard to the proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy,

Whereas:

(1)

On 11 November 2019, the Council adopted Decision (CFSP) 2019/18941 concerning restrictive measures in view of Turkey’s unauthorised drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean.

(2)

On the basis of a review of the restrictive measures set out in Decision (CFSP) 2019/1894, the Council has concluded that those measures should be extended until 12 November 2021.

(3)

The entries in the list of natural and legal persons, entities and bodies set out in the Annex to Decision (CFSP) 2019/1894 should be updated and amended.

(4)

Decision (CFSP) 2019/1894 should be amended accordingly,

HAS ADOPTED THIS DECISION:

Article 1

Decision (CFSP) 2019/1894 is amended as follows:

  1. (1)

    Article 8 is replaced by the following:

    Article 8

    This Decision shall apply until 12 November 2021 and shall be kept under constant review. It shall be renewed or amended, as appropriate, if the Council deems that its objectives have not been met.

  2. (2)

    the Annex is amended in accordance with the Annex to this Decision.

Article 2

This Decision shall enter into force on the date of its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

Done at Brussels, 6 November 2020.

For the Council

The President

M. Roth

ANNEX

In the Annex to Decision (CFSP) 2019/1894, entries 1 and 2 are replaced by the following:

Name

Identifying information

Reasons

Date of listing

‘1.

Mehmet Ferruh AKALIN

Date of birth: 9.12.1960

Passport No or ID: 13571379758

Nationality: Turkish

Gender: male

Mehmet Ferruh Akalın is Vice-President (Assistant General Manager) and member of the Board of Directors of the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO). He is the head of TPAO’s Exploration, R & D Centre and Information Technologies Departments.

In his capacity as TPAO Vice-President and head of its Exploration Department, Mehmet Ferruh Akalın is responsible for planning, directing and implementing TPAO’s offshore hydrocarbon exploration activities. These include TPAO’s drilling activities which have not been authorised by the Republic of Cyprus, as set out below.

Those unauthorised drilling activities were carried out by:

  1. (a)

    the TPAO drilling vessel Yavuz in the territorial sea of the Republic of Cyprus between July and September 2019;

  2. (b)

    the TPAO drilling vessel Yavuz in an area of the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus notified by it to the United Nations and delimited in an agreement with Egypt, between October 2019 and January 2020;

  3. (c)

    the TPAO drilling vessel Yavuz in an area of the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus notified by it to the United Nations and delimited in an agreement with Egypt, as well as an agreement with Israel, between January and April 2020;

  4. (d)

    the TPAO drilling vessel Yavuz in an area of the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus notified by it to the United Nations and delimited in an agreement with Egypt, between April and September 2020;

  5. (e)

    the TPAO drilling vessel Fatih in an area of the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus notified by it to the United Nations, in close proximity to its territorial sea, between November 2019 and January 2020;

  6. (f)

    the TPAO drilling vessel Fatih in a western area of the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus notified by it to the United Nations, between May and November 2019.

27.2.2020

2.

Ali Coscun NAMOGLU

Date of birth: 27.11.1956

Passport No or ID: 11096919534

Nationality: Turkish

Gender: male

Ali Coscun Namoglu is the Deputy Director of the Exploration Department of the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO).

In this capacity, Ali Coscun Namoglu is involved in planning, directing and implementing TPAO’s offshore hydrocarbon exploration activities. These include TPAO’s drilling activities which have not been authorised by Republic of Cyprus as set out below.

Those unauthorised drilling activities were carried out by:

  1. (a)

    the TPAO drilling vessel Yavuz in the territorial sea of the Republic of Cyprus between July and September 2019;

  2. (b)

    the TPAO drilling vessel Yavuz in an area of the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus notified by it to the United Nations and delimited in an agreement with Egypt, between October 2019 and January 2020;

  3. (c)

    the TPAO drilling vessel Yavuz in an area of the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus notified by it to the United Nations and delimited in an agreement with Egypt, as well as an agreement with Israel, between January 2020 and April 2020;

  4. (d)

    the TPAO drilling vessel Yavuz in an area of the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus notified by it to the United Nations and delimited in an agreement with Egypt, between April and September 2020;

  5. (e)

    the TPAO drilling vessel Fatih in an area of the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus notified by it to the United Nations, in close proximity to its territorial sea, between November 2019 and January 2020;

  6. (f)

    the TPAO drilling vessel Fatih in a western area of the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus notified by it to the United Nations, between May and November 2019.

27.2.2020’