Venezuela: Brussels to propose lifting sanctions on interim president Delcy Rodriguez

Brussels – The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, has announced that she will propose to member states that they lift the sanctions imposed on Delcy Rodriguez, the interim president of Venezuela and former right-hand woman to Nicolas Maduro. Less than two months after the capture of the Chavista leader, the EU wants to “launch a broader discussion on the new approach” to be adopted towards Caracas. This is a pragmatic attempt to normalise relations that have been tense for a decade. 

The input comes from Madrid, which is linked to Venezuela in terms of language and culture, but is also the preferred destination for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan asylum seekers in the EU (in 2024, there were 72,000 across the EU, second only to Afghans). This morning, at a meeting with his European counterparts, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares raised the issue, highlighting Caracas’ approval of an amnesty law that allowed for the release of 379 political prisoners. “A sign,” Albares said, that the Caribbean country “is entering a new phase.”

Currently, European sanctions, imposed in 2017, target 69 individuals and entities accused of human rights violations and of undermining the rule of law in Venezuela. These include Rodríguez, then president of the National Constituent Assembly, with which Maduro replaced Parliament, and current Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello Rondón. The EU has also imposed an arms embargo on Venezuela. Last year, the sanctions were extended until 10 January 2027. 

At a press conference following talks with ministers, Kallas highlighted “the initiatives taken by Venezuela.” The head of EU diplomacy indicated two paths forward: on the one hand, she announced that she would initially propose lifting restrictive measures (a travel ban to the EU and the freezing of assets on European territory) to Delcy Rodriguez, and then “initiate a broader discussion on the new approach” to be adopted towards the Venezuelan authorities, setting “parameters”, limits and conditions so that the relationship between Brussels and Caracas can move forward.