Monday

25th Sep 2023

EU states agree to extend Russia sanctions

  • A branch of Russian lender Sberbank, which is under EU sanctions, in the Czech Republic (Photo: Serge Bystro)

EU countries have agreed to extend the life of Russia and Crimea sanctions, despite Kremlin diplomacy.

They took the decision by consensus at a meeting of ambassadors in Brussels on Wednesday (17 June).

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

It is to be rubber stamped, with no political debate, by EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg on Monday.

One or other minister could, in theory, call for a discussion and block the move.

Normally, it never happens.

But the abnormal and volatile nature of the Greek bailout negotiations adds an element of uncertainty.

Tsipras

The Greek PM, Alexis Tsipras, is to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Friday.

Tsipras has, in the past, criticised the EU sanctions regime, while Russia has said it might dip into its $350 billion reserve fund if Greece asks for help.

The St. Petersburg meeting has given EU and US diplomats sleepless nights on whether Tsipras will sell his EU sanctions veto.

But one EU source said Tsipras gave EU Council president Donald Tusk a face-to-face pledge he won’t.

Another source said Greece, and other sanctions critics, such as the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Hungary, Italy, and Slovakia, didn’t put up a fight at the ambassadors’ meeting on Wednesday.

A third source said EU states want to get the sanctions out of the way so leaders can devote time to Greece at next week’s summit.

“We don’t want the summit to be dominated by a debate on Russia”, he told EUobserver.

“It’s also a good idea to take the sanctions decision at a low, technical level in order to minimise the political reaction by Russia”.

Extension

The economic sanctions are to be extended from their expiry date, in July, until the end of January.

They were adopted last year after flight MH17 was shot down over the conflict zone and after the regular Russian army entered Ukraine.

They ban Russian banks, arms firms, and energy firms from buying long-term debt on international markets.

They also ban Russian arms and energy firms from buying high-end technology.

The Crimea sanctions, which ban almost all forms of business activity, are to be extended by one year until next June.

The EU ambassadors, on Tuesday, also got a first look at the EU foreign service’s “action plan” on how to counter Russian propaganda.

Putin

For his part, Putin has tried to target potential EU veto-wielders.

He met with Finnish president Sauli Niinisto in Moscow this week and with Italian leader Matteo Renzi in Milan last week.

He also met the Czech and Slovak heads in May and the Cypriot and Hungarian heads in February.

None of them gave a sign they would break EU solidarity on Ukraine, however.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin’s distribution, last month, of a visa-ban list of 89 EU officials and politicians soured relations.

An EU diplomat told this website the real list is believed to be much longer.

“It could be in the hundreds or even the thousands. But they won’t reveal its full extent because they'd lose the element of surprise, when you land in Moscow and you get turned back”, he said.

Farage and Le Pen unite on Russia report

Britain’s Ukip and France’s National Front have teamed up with other anti-EU parties to vote against a Russia-critical resolution at the EU parliament.

Fifa scandal spotlights Russia

Campaigners for tougher sanctions on Russia are saying it should lose the 2018 football World Cup if US or Swiss sleuths uncover corruption.

EU’s €500m gender violence plan falls short, say auditors

The 'Spotlight Initiative' was launched in 2017 with a budget of €500 million to end all forms of violence or harmful practices against women and girls in partner countries, but so far it has had "little impact", say EU auditors.

Latest News

  1. Europe's energy strategy: A tale of competing priorities
  2. Why Greek state workers are protesting new labour law
  3. Gloves off, as Polish ruling party fights for power
  4. Here's the headline of every op-ed imploring something to stop
  5. Report: Tax richest 0.5%, raise €213bn for EU coffers
  6. EU aid for Africa risks violating spending rules, Oxfam says
  7. Activists push €40bn fossil subsidies into Dutch-election spotlight
  8. Europe must Trump-proof its Ukraine arms supplies

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators, industry & healthcare experts at the 24th IMDRF session, September 25-26, Berlin. Register by 20 Sept to join in person or online.
  2. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  3. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  4. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators & industry experts at the 24th IMDRF session- Berlin September 25-26. Register early for discounted hotel rates
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch
  6. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  2. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  3. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics
  6. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us