Banning Hezbollah in Europe

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European countries introduced full ban on Hezbollah activities

Established in 1982 by Iran’s Khomeini regime, Hezbollah developed into a unique phenomenon with political, military, terrorist, and criminal dimensions

Hezbollah has a long history of terror and terror-related activities against European targets and in Europe. In July 2013, following a terror attack in Burgas, Bulgaria, the EU decided to address this threat by designating the military wing of Hezbollah under the EU’s Common Position on designating terror groupsThe partial designation yielded limited results in curbing Hezbollah’s terrorist and illicit activities in Europe, as it makes it easier for Hezbollah to cover funds devoted to military, terror, and criminal activities under a political veneer. It is high time Europe sent a much stronger message to Hezbollah that such activities will no longer be tolerated. The full designation of Hezbollah aligns Europe’s long-overdue recognition of realities on the ground, namely, Hezbollah’s undeniable and ongoing terror activities in Europe and elsewhere, with its own legal stipulations regarding acts of terror.

The following European countries introduced a legal ban or designation of Hezbollah as a terrorist organization in its entirety (including both political and military wings of the organization):

2004

The Netherlands – full designation in 2004

2019

The United Kingdom – full designation in February 2019

2020

Germany – full ban in April 2020

2020

Kosovo – full designation in June 2020

2020

Lithuania – full entry ban in August 2020

2020

Estonia – full entry ban and sanctions in October 2020

2020

Latvia – full designation in November 2020

2020

Slovenia – full designation in November 2020

2021

Austria – full ban in May 2021