The EU High Representative and the European Commission are willing to step up in the global fight against kleptocrats. A new anti-corruption sanctions regime would supplement the EU’s existing regime covering worldwide corruption, enabling it quickly and flexibly to complement country-specific anti-corruption policies for targeting dishonest individuals. The proposal would bring the EU into line with other regimes such as the Global Magnitsky Act, passed after investigations into tax fraud by Russian officials, which allows the USA to ban visas and freeze assets of corrupt individuals and human rights abusers worldwide. It is now incumbent upon EU member states to adopt the Commission’s proposal without delay.