ABSTRACT

SANCTIONS and their collective imposition against specific countries were accepted by the member states as a valuable element of their collaboration on foreign policy under European political co-operation. European Union (EU) sanctions have been applied on numerous occasions over the years. However, it is debatable whether any had the desired effect upon the embargoed countries, or whether they were not much more than symbolic gestures of EU solidarity. In addition, not all member states are willing to participate in a collective imposition of sanctions against a named country. The most infamous example in recent years involved the imposition of sanctions against Austria in 2000 following the inclusion of the far-right Freedom Party under Jörg Haider in the Austrian Government. The sanctions were strongly resented in Austria and fuelled anti-EU feeling; they were lifted within six months. More recently, in March 2014 the EU imposed sanctions against officials from both Russia and Ukraine, in response to the destabilization of Ukraine and Russia’s annexation of Crimea; the sanctions were subsequently strengthened.

JACQUES SANTER (1937-) was Prime Minister of Luxembourg in 1994 when he was chosen as President of the European Commission after a contentious debate among the national governments of member states to find a successor to Jacques Delors. Santer was a compromise candidate and took up his appointment on 9 January 1995. He pursued a less ambitious programme than his immediate predecessor, a programme that was encapsulated in his phrase ‘to do less but to do it better’. He was also responsible for introducing a series of internal reform initiatives within the Commission that encountered varying degrees of resistance. However, Santer’s term in office is more associated with the scandal and malpractice that led to the resignation of the entire College of Commissioners. The resignation followed a report that was highly critical of parts of the Commission and in particular of two Commissioners. When the two individuals concerned refused to accept the blame for their alleged malpractices, Santer and the entire body of Commissioners assumed

collective responsibility and resigned in March 1999 before the almost certain prospect of being censured by the European Parliament. This was the first time that the College had resigned in the history of the Commission. Santer and his team, however, remained in charge of the Commission until a new College was appointed under his proposed successor, Romano Prodi, in the latter half of 1999. In 2002 Santer was appointed the Luxembourg government representative to the European Convention. He remained a Member of the European Parliament until 2004. In January 2012 he was appointed to head the board of the Special Investment Vehicle, which was tasked with aiding the operations of the European Financial Stability Facility.