Council Regulation (EC) No. 798/2004 provides for restrictive measures in respect of Burma-Myanmar covering a ban on the provision of technical assistance and on the provision of finance relating to military activities; and a ban on the sale, supply, transfer or export of equipment that might be used for internal repression and on the provision of technical assistance or finance relating to such equipment.
The European Communities (Restrictive Measures) (Burma/Myanmar) Regulation 2004, Statutory Instrument No. 392 of 2004, provides for the implementation of this regulation in Ireland and incorporates penalties for infringements of its provisions.
In addition, the sale, supply, transfer or export of arms and related material to Burma-Myanmar is prohibited under the European Council Common Position 2004/423/CFSP of 26 April 2004. Accordingly, no licences to export such materials to Burma-Myanmar have been issued by my Department.
Conventional exports from Ireland to Burma-Myanmar in 2003 totalled €381,000, a decline of 71% on the total in 2002 of €1.295 million. Exports of chemical materials and chemical products at a value of €252,000, together with medical and pharmaceutical products valued at €129,000, make up this total. Imports from Burma-Myanmar in 2003 totalled €1.371 million, an increase of 21% on total exports in 2002 valued at €1.134. Products imported were confined to clothing and clothing accessories. For the period January-July 2004, Irish exports to Burma-Myanmar amounted to €715,000. They included chemical materials and chemical products valued at €693,000, medical and pharmaceutical products valued at €20,000 and organic chemicals valued at €2,000.
Imports were valued at €1.043 million in the same period, and were entirely made up of clothing and clothing accessories.
Information concerning the trading profile of individual companies is classified as commercially sensitive. Even in those cases where it is accessible, it is not publicised is such company specific form.
