Declaration of the Head of Mission of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the EU as persona non grata and her accreditation to Belgium and Luxembourg

Question for written answer  E-001453/2021
to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
Rule 138
Francisco José Millán Mon (PPE)

On 15 February, at the initiative of the VP/HR, the Council agreed to declare the Head of Mission of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to the European Union, Claudia Salerno Caldera, persona non grata. This was in response to the decision by the Venezuelan government to expel the Head of the EU Delegation to Venezuela.

However, according to my sources, Ms Salerno continues to be accredited as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. In this capacity, Ms Salerno would be able to continue to participate in various forums and high-level meetings with Heads of Mission of Latin American States and even with EU authorities.

• 1.Given that one of the basic tasks entrusted to the VP/HR is to ensure the coherence of the EU’s external action and in particular foreign policy, what is the VP/HR’s assessment of this situation?
• 2.Has the VP/HR approached the Governments of Belgium and Luxembourg to urge them to withdraw Ms Salerno’s accreditation as ambassador?