Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the efficacy of EU restrictive measures against Côte d'Ivoire.

Sanctions have helped improve the situation in Cote d'Ivoire by limiting destabilising factors through restrictions on the sale, supply and transfer of arms and by targeting those who constitute a threat to peace and national reconciliation with asset freeze and travel ban measures. The sanctions remain under regular review and were revised by the UN in April 2014 following a UN Group of Experts report. The UK government continues to closely monitor the situation and work with partners to support reform and encourage progress by the government of Côte d'Ivoire, particularly ahead of elections planned for October 2015.