The EU has adopted a sanctions regime against the proliferation and use of chemical weapons in October 2018. This is the EU's first coercive instrument against chemical weapons, and it is not based on a UN Security Council mandate. The sanctions regime is a "horizontal" or thematic list, and it takes place against the background of a pre-existing mandate agreed by the UN Security Council. The use of chemical weapons has increased in recent years, despite the robust disarmament regime seeking to curb their use.
