EU Expands Terrorist Sanctions Listing Criteria, Adds Travel Ban
Summary
The Council of the EU adopted Decision (CFSP) 2026/455 and Regulation (EU) 2026/456, expanding the scope of EU restrictive measures to combat terrorism. The amendments add travel bans for listed individuals and broaden listing criteria to include leading members of listed groups and entities involved in financing, training, or recruitment of terrorists. The periodic review concluded with all existing listings maintained unchanged.
What changed
Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/455 and Regulation (EU) 2026/456 amend the EU terrorist sanctions regime by adding a travel ban for listed individuals and expanding listing criteria. The new criteria allow designation of leading members of listed groups involved in planning, facilitating, preparing or perpetrating terrorist acts, as well as persons or entities associated through financing, terrorist training, or recruitment. All existing listings were maintained after the periodic review.
Financial institutions, investors, and any entities making funds or economic resources available to listed persons must ensure compliance with both asset freeze obligations and the new travel ban prohibition. Exporters and transportation companies should implement screening to identify and block travel by listed individuals. Compliance programs must account for the expanded scope covering financing, training, and recruitment associations.
What to do next
- Update sanctions screening procedures to account for new listing criteria covering financing, training, and recruitment activities
- Implement travel ban verification processes for individuals on the EU Terrorist List
- Review due diligence procedures for associations with persons or entities potentially linked to listed groups
Penalties
Non-compliance with asset freeze or travel ban obligations may result in criminal penalties under national law implementing EU sanctions regulations
Archived snapshot
Apr 10, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
- Council of the EU
- Press release
- 26 February 2026 19:30
EU sanctions against terrorism: Council strengthens the scope of the EU Terrorist List and maintains all existing listings
The Council decided today to strengthen the scope of EU restrictive measures to combat terrorism, by expanding the listing criteria to:
- allow the EU to target leading members of EU-listed groups and entities, who play a key role in planning, facilitating, preparing or perpetrating terrorist acts
- allow for restrictive measures against persons, groups and entities that are associated with those involved in terrorist acts, including through their participation in financing or their involvement in terrorist training and recruitment The Council also introduced a travel ban for listed individuals on top of the asset freeze and the prohibition on making funds or economic resources available to them.
In addition, the Council today also concluded the periodic review of the list of persons, groups and entities subject to restrictive measures for their involvement in terrorist acts, and maintained the list unchanged. Those listed remain subject to asset freeze and a prohibition for EU operators to make funds or economic resources available to them.
In its conclusions of 16 December 2024 on reinforcing external-internal connections in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, the Council underlined that terrorism and violent extremism, in all their forms and irrespective of their origin, continue to pose a major threat to the security of the Union and its member states.
Background
The EU Terrorist List, i.e. the sanctions regime to combat terrorism, is separate from the EU regime transposing UN Security Council resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and 2253 (2015) and targeting Al-Qaida and ISIL/Da'esh.
The EU may also apply restrictive measures autonomously to ISIL/Da'esh and Al-Qaida and persons and entities associated with or supporting them.
The EU terrorist list is also separate from the sanctions framework adopted in January 2024, targeting those who support, facilitate or enable violent action by Hamas or the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
- Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/455 of 26 February 2026 on restrictive measures to combat terrorism, repealing Articles 2, 3 and 3a of Common Position 2001/931/CFSP on the application of specific measures to combat terrorism and repealing Decision (CFSP) 2025/1577 and Decision (CFSP) 2026/421
- Council Regulation (EU) 2026/456 of 26 February 2026 amending Regulation (EC) No 2580/2001 on specific restrictive measures directed against certain persons and entities with a view to combating terrorism and repealing Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1578 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/420
- Sanctions against terrorism (background information)
Press contacts
- Maria Daniela Lenzu Press officer
- +32 470 88 04 02
- +32 2 281 21 46
- @daniela_lenzu If you are not a journalist, please send your request to the public information service.
Topics
- Foreign affairs
- Fighting crime
- Sanctions
- Download as pdf
- Subscribe to press releases Last review: 10 March 2026
Named provisions
Related changes
Get daily alerts for EEAS EU Sanctions
Daily digest delivered to your inbox.
Free. Unsubscribe anytime.
About this page
Every important government, regulator, and court update from around the world. One place. Real-time. Free. Our mission
Source document text, dates, docket IDs, and authority are extracted directly from EU Council.
The summary, classification, recommended actions, deadlines, and penalty information are AI-generated from the original text and may contain errors. Always verify against the source document.
Classification
Who this affects
Taxonomy
Browse Categories
Get alerts for this source
We'll email you when EEAS EU Sanctions publishes new changes.
Subscribed!
Optional. Filters your digest to exactly the updates that matter to you.