Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the work of Europol in assisting with the implementation of multilateral sanctions; and what plans the Government has to continue working with that organisation on implementing sanctions after the UK has left the EU.

The responsibility for implementing UN and EU sanctions rests primarily at national level. In the UK the relevant bodies include HM Treasury’s Office for Financial Sanctions Implementation, the National Crime Agency and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. In serious criminal cases requiring cooperation across international jurisdictions there may be a role for Europol, although sanctions implementation is not specifically referred to in Europol’s mandate. The future relationship between the UK and Europol is part of the ongoing negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.