European Parliament Demands Designating the Houthis as a Terrorist Group

Last Thursday, the European Parliament voted in favor of a resolution demanding that the European Union designate the Yemeni Houthi group as a terrorist organization. The vote comes after years of attacks by the group on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, amid escalating pressure from Gulf nations to toughen the European stance toward it.

The resolution, which received broad support within the parliament, calls for imposing harsher financial sanctions on the Houthis' financing networks and preventing the smuggling of weapons and military components reaching the group via maritime and land routes from Iran. It also demands the prosecution of European entities dealing directly or indirectly with the group.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been pressing for years for this designation, after the United States designated the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization. In contrast, the European Union remained hesitant due to concerns over the designation's impact on the delivery of humanitarian aid to Yemen, which suffers from one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.

The European Parliament does not have the authority to directly impose the designation, as the decision requires the approval of the Council of the European Union, which comprises representatives of the member states. If adopted, it would lead to freezing any assets of the group within Europe and criminalizing support for it, in a move that could complicate the future of political negotiations regarding Yemen.

What do these terms mean?

**Designation as a terrorist organization:** A legal measure taken by a state or international bloc to criminalize dealings with a specific group, including funding or providing support to it, and allowing the freezing of its assets.

**Council of the European Union:** A body comprising ministers from the EU member states, which holds the authority to definitively adopt decisions such as designating terrorist groups.

**Financial sanctions:** Measures aimed at preventing the flow of funds to a specific entity, such as freezing bank accounts or banning transactions with it.