The EU’s new Russia sanctions are due to come into force this Thursday. The committee of permanent representatives of the member states launched the written decision-making process in Brussels on Wednesday, as confirmed by diplomats from the German Press Agency in Brussels. It is considered a formality as the procedure is usually only approved when all EU capitals have cleared their objections.
The new package of sanctions against Russia includes an import ban on Russian gold and plans to tighten export controls for cutting-edge technology and civilian goods that can be used for military purposes.
Other people who support Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine face having their assets frozen in the EU and barred from entering the EU. These include members of the Russian nationalist motorcycle rocker group “Night Wolves” and the actor Vladimir Mashkov (“Mission: Impossible – Phantom Protocol”).
According to information from the German Press Agency, it is also planned to tighten the sanctions against the largest Russian bank. In the future, Sberbank should be among those financial institutions whose funds and economic resources can be frozen.
In addition, no more funds or economic resources may be made available to the bank. Exceptions should only be made for transactions related to the trade in products from the agricultural and food sector.
The EU imposed the first sanctions on Sberbank in early June. At that time it was decided to exclude the bank from the financial communication network Swift. Financial data is exchanged worldwide via the messaging service for payment transactions.
The German ambassador to the EU, Michael Clauss, expressed his satisfaction on Wednesday at the conclusion of negotiations on what is now the seventh package of sanctions against Russia. “The rapid and consensual progress shows once again that the EU is united and determined to provide effective support to Ukraine,” he said.
Negotiations between the EU countries were much more difficult when it came to the sixth package of sanctions. In particular, there were weeks of discussion about the oil embargo it contained. (dpa)
