Campaign Group Justice for Myanmar is encouraging individuals to report people and companies breaking EU sanctions against Myanmar using the EUs new Sanctions Whistleblower Tool.

Justice for Myanmar has made this suggestion because it believes that EU states have not been properly enforcing EU sanctions and arms embargos on the Myanmar junta and its cronies. The new EU sanctions Whistleblower Tool allows people to anonymously report sanction breakers online.

The EU claims: “The EU Sanctions Whistleblower Tool protects your identity and allows you to contact us anonymously to report violations of EU sanctions.”

If any personally identifying information is included in a report made the EU will remove it before sharing the report. It also gives you the option to create an anonymous secure inbox for any communications with the EU.

It can be used to report “past, ongoing or planned sanctions violations”.

While individual EU sanctions are adopted by the Council of the EU, it is the individual Member States who are responsible for their enforcement and administering punishments to sanctions breakers in their own countries.

But, it is the European Commission that monitors the implementation and enforcement of EU sanctions across Member States and it will investigate any sanction breaking that is reported and “ensure sanctions compliance in the EU.”

The EU points out that “Proper implementation is essential for the effectiveness of EU sanctions. Sharing first-hand information can be a powerful tool to help uncover cases of sanctions violations, including evasion and circumvention.”

It encourages people to use the Whistleblower Tool saying: “By voluntarily providing us with information about EU sanctions violations of which you might be aware, you can help us investigate such practices and ensure sanctions compliance in the EU.”

The EU has imposed individual sanctions on Myanmar junta members, military-controlled entities and cronies. The EU also has an embargo on Myanmar that prohibits the direct and indirect sale, brokering and financing of arms, dual-use goods, equipment, technology and software that can be used for internal repression or surveillance.

EU sanctions apply:

- within the territory of the EU, including its airspace;
- on board any aircraft or any vessel under the jurisdiction of a Member State;
- to any person inside or outside the territory of the EU who is a national of a Member State;
- to any legal person, entity or body, inside or outside the territory of the Union, which is incorporated or constituted under the law of a Member State;
- to any legal person, entity or body in respect of any business done in whole or in part within the EU.