BRUSSELS -- European Union ambassadors have agreed a new mechanism to sanction people anywhere in the world blamed for using chemical weapons, according to EU sources.
The sources in the European Council told RFE/RL that envoys from the EU's 28 member states approved the regime in Brussels on September 26.
However, they said that the bloc was still far away from listing specific individuals under the regime, which is expected to be endorsed by EU foreign ministers when they meet in Luxembourg on October 15.
The regime will need the support of all EU governments for names to be added, according to a preparatory paper seen by the Reuters news agency.
The move follows repeated use of chemical weapons in Syria and the poisoning of a Russian double agent and his daughter in Britain in March.
The attack in the English town of Salisbury left Sergei and Yulia Skripal in critical condition, but both have recovered after weeks in the hospital.
British authorities charged two Russian men with carrying out the poisoning with a military-grade nerve agent.
The two suspects denied they were agents of the military intelligence service widely known as the GRU.
Russia also denied involvement, and a diplomatic confrontation over the case has led to sanctions and the expulsion of more than 150 Russian diplomats from two dozen Western countries.
