The European Union is preparing sanctions on Lebanese politicians who are involved in delaying government formation in Lebanon, Reuters reported on Wednesday.
The EU has begun technical work on preparing these sanctions in what is called the designation criteria, according to six diplomats and officials.
This comes 2 days after EU foreign ministers agreed to take action in this regard. As of yet, no names have been specified.
“The level of impatience with the ruling class is growing,” a senior EU diplomat told Reuters. “Expect to see a decision in the next three to four weeks.”
Notably, Hungary has denounced the European plan to sanction Lebanese politicians.
While not all EU member states are in agreement over the decision to pressure Lebanese politicians, Germany and France, the bloc’s 2 main powers, are pushing for the move.
France recently announced that it had already started taking action against politicians found to be blocking the government formation process in the crisis-hit country.
Around 2 weeks ago, the French Foreign Ministry said that it was taking measures restricting access to French territory for people implicated in the political blockage underway, or implicated in corruption.
At the end of his recent visit to Lebanon, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned that if the political deadlock continues, the EU would supplement France‘s efforts with its own “pressure tools.”