Venezuela Expels European Union Ambassador After New Wave of EU Sanctions

Flags of both European and Latin American countries from a conference on Venezuela (Flickr). 

Venezuela expelled the European Union ambassador on February 24 in response to new EU sanctions levied on Venezuelan officials. Although she was originally allowed only seventy-two hours to depart the country, Isabel Brilhante Pedrosa ultimately left Venezuela on March 2 due to Covid-19 transport restrictions. 

The 19 Venezuelans against whom the most recent sanctions have been levied are accused of human rights violations and corruption. Many of these Venezuelans occupy prominent roles in Nicolas Maduro’s government, which views these sanctions as an affront to its status in ongoing EU negotiations. 

The EU sanctions against Venezuelan officials came in response to the outcome of the December 2020 parliamentary elections in Venezuela. The United States, the EU, and various other countries do not recognize the validity of this election cycle, citing that an EU election commission had found no evidence that the December elections were fair and secure. 

This is not the first time EU sanctions have resulted in the expulsion of their ambassador to Venezuela, having previously sanctioned fifty-five Venezuelans for similar offenses. 

In June of 2020, Nicolás Maduro issued an expulsion order to Ambassador Brilhante Pedrosa in response to the EU’s announcement of eleven more sanctions against Venezuelan officials. However, when she failed to leave by the end of the seventy-two allotted hours, Maduro backed down and rescinded the order. 

The EU, along with the United States and many other Latin American countries, recognizes the presidency of Juan Guaido in Venezuela. However, in order to address the current economic crisis facing Venezuela, the EU is engaged with the Maduro government in negotiations. 

The December elections destabilized the opposition party’s power, as many Maduro supporters were elected to the National Assembly, ousting Guaido’s control of the legislative body. 

International condemnation of the Venezuelan December elections has led to greater global tensions, exacerbated by the expulsion of the EU ambassador. However, the statements of condemnation only reassert the international community’s desire to see free and fair elections taking place in Venezuela.