The EU has increased sanctions against North Korea, the EU said in a statement.

According to the statement, “the Council increased the restrictive measures against DPRK by finalising the transposition into EU law of the measures imposed by the latest UN Security Council resolution 2397 (2017).”

The new measures include the strengthening of the export ban to the North Korea of all refined petroleum products by reducing the amount of barrels that may be exported from 2 million barrels to 500,000 barrels per year.

The EU has banned imports from North Korea of food and agricultural products, machinery, electrical equipment, earth and stone, and wood, as well as of all industrial machinery, transportation vehicles, and expansion to all iron, steel and other metals.

The EU Council also decided to repatriate all North Korean workers abroad within 24 months, subject to applicable national and international law.

As reported earlier, the U.N. Security Council unanimously approved new tough sanctions against North Korea on December 22, 2017 in response to its launch of a ballistic missile. The document introduced new restrictions on the supply of crude oil and refined products to Pyongyang, and also required all countries to send labor migrants back to North Korea within 24 months.