The European Union strengthens trade rules against goods used for capital punishment and torture

Yesterday, the European Union has taken an important step towards the further strengthening of the trade rules applicable to goods that could be used for capital punishment or torture. On the proposal of the European Commission, the European Parliament has approved yesterday new restrictions on certain services and revised rules on goods that could be used to apply the death penalty. This demonstrates the importance the European Union attaches to respect for fundamental rights, as well as its promotion of the global abolition of the death penalty and the eradication of torture. Following yesterday’s vote in the Parliament, the changes should now be approved by the Council and then the text amending the original Regulation (1236/2005) will be published in the Official Journal of the EU and become Union law.