Article 2
1. All funds and economic resources belonging to, owned, held or controlled by: (a) natural persons responsible for undermining democracy or the rule of law in Lebanon through any of the following actions: (i) obstructing or undermining the democratic political process by persistently hampering the formation of a government or by obstructing or seriously undermining the holding of elections; (ii) obstructing or undermining the implementation of plans approved by Lebanese authorities and supported by relevant international actors, including the EU, to improve accountability and good governance in the public sector or to implement critical economic reforms, including in the banking and financial sectors and including the adoption of transparent and non-discriminatory legislation on the export of capital; (iii) serious financial misconduct concerning public funds, insofar as the acts concerned are covered by the United Nations Convention Against Corruption and the unauthorised export of capital; (b) natural or legal persons associated with persons designated under point (a); as listed in the Annex, shall be frozen. The plans referred to in point (ii) of point (a) are the reform plans presented in the 2018 CEDRE conference, the April 2020 Financial Recovery Plan, the September 2020 comprehensive roadmap of reforms and the December 2020 Lebanon Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction (3RF). 2. No funds or economic resources shall be made available directly or indirectly to or for the benefit of the natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed in the Annex. 3. By way of derogation from paragraphs 1 and 2, the competent authorities of the Member States may authorise the release of certain frozen funds or economic resources, or the making available of certain funds or economic resources, under such conditions as they deem appropriate, after having determined that the funds or economic resources concerned are: (a) necessary to satisfy the basic needs of the natural or legal persons, entities or bodies listed in the Annex and dependent family members of such natural persons, including payments for foodstuffs, rent or mortgage, medicines and medical treatment, taxes, insurance premiums, and public utility charges; (b) intended exclusively for the payment of reasonable professional fees and the reimbursement of incurred expenses associated with the provision of legal services; (c) intended exclusively for the payment of fees or service charges for the routine holding or maintenance of frozen funds or economic resources; (d) necessary for extraordinary expenses, provided that the competent authority has notified the competent authorities of the other Member States and the Commission of the grounds on which it considers that a specific authorisation should be granted, at least two weeks prior to the authorisation; or (e) to be paid into or from an account of a diplomatic or consular mission or an international organisation enjoying immunities in accordance with international law, insofar as such payments are intended to be used for official purposes of the diplomatic or consular mission or international organisation. The Member State concerned shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of any authorisation granted under this paragraph within two weeks of the authorisation. 4. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, the competent authorities of the Member States may authorise the release of certain frozen funds or economic resources, or the making available of certain funds or economic resources, provided that the following conditions are met: (a) the funds or economic resources are the subject of an arbitral decision rendered prior to the date on which the natural or legal person, entity or body referred to in paragraph 1 was listed in the Annex, or of a judicial or administrative decision rendered in the Union, or a judicial decision enforceable in the Member State concerned, prior to or after that date; (b) the funds or economic resources will be used exclusively to satisfy claims secured by such a decision or recognised as valid in such a decision, within the limits set by applicable laws and regulations governing the rights of persons having such claims; (c) the decision is not for the benefit of a natural or legal person, entity or body listed in the Annex; and (d) recognition of the decision is not contrary to public policy in the Member State concerned. The Member State concerned shall inform the other Member States and the Commission of any authorisation granted under this paragraph within two weeks of the authorisation. 5. Paragraph 1 shall not prevent a natural or legal person, entity or body listed in the Annex from making a payment due under a contract or agreement entered into, or an obligation that arose, prior to the date on which such natural or legal person, entity or body was listed therein, provided that the Member State concerned has determined that the payment is not, directly or indirectly, received by a natural or legal person, entity or body referred to in paragraph 1. 6. Paragraph 2 shall not apply to the addition to frozen accounts of: (a) interest or other earnings on those accounts; (b) payments due under contracts, agreements or obligations that were concluded or arose prior to the date on which those accounts became subject to the measures provided for in paragraphs 1 and 2; or (c) payments due under judicial, administrative or arbitral decisions rendered in the Union or enforceable in the Member State concerned; provided that any such interest, other earnings and payments remain subject to the measures provided for in paragraph 1.