Sanctions are an important tool within EU foreign policy, which have until now remained obscure to both scholars and the general public. This book examines sanctions as a political tool of influence and evaluates the efficacy of sanctions imposed by the European Union (EU) against countries from the early 1990s to present day.

Portela focuses on EU sanctions in the non-commercial realm, in the absence of United Nations backing, and explains why sanctions worked in some cases and failed in others. Portela assesses both the material impact of the measures on the affected countries, and their ability to bring about the desired behavioural change in the targeted elites. Using four different legal frameworks within the EU, the author explores:

• Sanctions wielded in aid cut-offs under its partnership agreement with African-Caribbean and Pacific Countries (ACP).









• Measures imposed under its Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP).









• The withdrawal of unilateral trade preferences under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP).









• Similar measures adopted outside any formalised legal framework.







It will be of interest to students and scholars of international politics, human rights and democracy, EU studies, international security, conflict management and peace studies, IPE and development studies.