The European Union has imposed sanctions against eight businessmen and two entities for their ties to the Syrian regime, according to a European Council statement on Monday. The Council said eight "prominent" Syrian businessmen were added to the sanctions list as their “activities directly benefited the Assad regime, including through projects located on lands expropriated from persons displaced by the conflict.” The restrictive measures were introduced in 2011 and the list now has 277 individuals and 71 businesses subject to a travel ban and an asset freeze. "EU sanctions currently in place against Syria also include an oil embargo, restrictions on certain investments, a freeze of the assets of the Syrian central bank held in the EU, and export restrictions on equipment and technology that might be used for internal repression, as well as on equipment and technology for the monitoring or interception of internet or telephone communications," the statement read. The European sanctions are revised every year. The next revision would be in June. The EU decided in the second half of May of last year to extend the imposed sanctions until June 2020. The extension is in line with the EU’s strategy towards Syria, said the statement. The EU will continue to look into taking new measures against Syria as long as there is repression, said European meetings in April of 2018.