The Security Council's targeted sanctions in the light of recent developments occurring in the EU context

Abstract

The shift from economic sanctions against whole nations to sanctions targeted at individuals brought a new dimension to the focus of international law: the contradiction between (procedural) standards of human rights protection and the authority of the UN Security Council acting pursuant to the UN Charter Chapter VII. The encounter of the UNSC targeted sanctions with the EU and ECHR system of human rights protection, as articulated in recent ECJ decisions, not only affirms the EU as a gradually appearing sovereign legal system with strong human rights safeguards, but also clarifies the authority of the UNSC with respect to maintaining peace and security in the world.