HR/VP Federica Mogherini issued a statement reacting to the recent failure of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to renew the mandate of the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The JIM was investigating the use of chemical weapons during the war in Syria. After proving that belligerents used such weapons, its current mission was searching for the persons responsible for their actual use. The renewal of JIM’s mission was vetoed by Russia, which provoked the end of JIM’s investigations on 17 November, the day of the expiration of its mandate. HR/VP Mogherini stated that “the failure to reach an agreement on the renewal of the mandate of the […] Joint Investigative Mechanism […] undermines attempts to ensure accountability for the use of chemical weapons in Syria. This damages efforts to consolidate the international chemical non-proliferation regime. It is of grave concern to the EU. In this regard, the EU regrets the Russian vetoes.”