The EU will declare Hizbollah’s military wing a terrorist group, marking a shift in the bloc’s dealings with the Lebanese Shia militant group brought about by its believed involvement in a deadly attack on European soil.
EU foreign ministers took the unanimous decision at a meeting in Brussels on Monday following a two-month campaign led by the UK that managed to overcome widespread misgivings among fellow member states.
The designation will open the way for the EU to curtail the group’s fundraising activities in Europe and freeze its assets - although sanctions will not be applied to individual members.
Several diplomats have acknowledged that the immediate practical impact could be limited, given the blurred boundaries between Hizbollah’s political and military activities. As well as possessing a formidable weapons arsenal, Hizbollah is also a political party in Lebanon and in practice the military and political wings are inextricably linked.
Nonetheless, they argued that blacklisting the group sent a strong political signal that the EU would not tolerate terrorist attacks within its borders.
Frans Timmermans, the Dutch foreign minister, said: “It is good that the EU has decided to call Hizbollah what it is: a terrorist organisation. For years the Netherlands has pushed for listing Hizbollah. That’s why I’m satisfied that we took this important step today, by dealing with the military wing of Hizbollah, freezing its assets, hindering its fundraising and thereby limiting its capacity to act.”
William Hague, the UK foreign secretary said: “The EU has sent a clear message that it stands united against terrorism. It shows that no organisation can carry out terrorist acts on European soil, such as the appalling attack in Bulgaria one year ago, without facing the consequences.”
In making its case over the past two months, the UK cited mounting evidence of Hizbollah’s involvement in a bus bombing a year ago in Bulgaria that killed five Israelis and their driver, as well as the arrest of a confessed member in Cyprus who was suspected of planning another attack.
Although it was not a legal consideration under the EU’s sanctions guidelines, some diplomats said that Hizbollah’s increased involvement in the Syrian civil war in support of the Assad regime had also persuaded reluctant member states to lay aside their concerns.
The US and Israel have long campaigned for the EU to join them in blacklisting the group, and were expected to welcome Monday’s decision.
But even after being presented with evidence about the Bulgarian bombing, several member states were reluctant. The Irish, in particular, worried that blacklisting Hizbollah might put at risk their own troops serving in peacekeeping operations in southern Lebanon.
Others argued that it might further destabilise the country and squander the EU’s diplomatic influence with one of the region’s most powerful political and military forces.
As Monday’s meeting got under way, the outcome had still been uncertain, with Ireland, Malta and the Czech Republic poised to oppose.
Their concerns appear to have been at least partly addressed by a related declaration noting that the EU would maintain dialogue with all political parties in Lebanon and continue to supply aid. The terrorist designation is also limited to Hizbollah’s military wing, not the entire group.
Following the agreement, Mr Hague sought to emphasise the distinction, noting that the designation would “do nothing to affect” the EU’s strong support for Lebanon.
Analysts agreed that the EU’s decision would have little impact on the bloc’s dealings with Lebanon’s caretaker government, which contains two Hizbollah ministers. The blacklisting is, however, embarrassing for the Lebanese government – not least because it requested the EU not to go ahead with the move a few days ago.
The designation adds Hizbollah to a terrorist list drawn up by the EU following the September 11 attacks that includes several individuals affiliated with Al-Qaeda as well as groups such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Real IRA.
Separate EU sanctions regimes against Iran and Syria have identified dozens of officials, subjecting them to asset freezes and travel bans. By failing to name Hizbollah individuals, one diplomat said the EU hoped to encourage members to move toward purely political activities within the group.
In addition to interrupting the group’s finances in Europe, the designation will also give law enforcement agencies a freer hand to investigate it, according to diplomats.
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