The European Union has the right to authorize the circumvention of restrictive measures adopted against Russia in order to guarantee their implementation, announced the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU.
European governments made a “unanimous” decision to consider the violation of European sanctions a “crime”, according to the press release of the EU presidency, AFP and Agerpres reported.
In particular, this decision will allow sanctions to be applied to third countries and their citizens or organizations guilty of evading the sanctions adopted by the EU against Russia.
“The EU resolutely responded to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine. He has introduced an unprecedented number of sanctions against the Russian economy and countering its ability to continue this aggression,” Czech Minister of Justice Pavel Blazek said.
“To be successful, their implementation requires a joint effort, and today’s decision is an important tool to ensure that any attempts to circumvent these measures are stopped,” he added.
Turkey, which is constantly accused of evading European sanctions
The Europeans have introduced eight packages of sanctions, including suspending purchases of oil and coal, to deprive Moscow of sources of funding for the war in Ukraine.
Turkey is constantly accused of circumventing European sanctions and creating a bypass route for transporting Russian oil to EU countries despite the European embargo.
“Adding the violation of restrictive measures to the list of ‘crimes’ is the first of two steps aimed at ensuring the same level of enforcement of sanctions across the EU and preventing attempts to circumvent or violate EU measures,” the report said. emphasized the Czech president.
The second step is to enact legislation that defines the offenses and sanctions that apply in the event of a breach of European sanctions, as member states currently have different definitions of what constitutes a breach of restrictive measures.
The European Commission is due to present a proposal at the end of the week for “quick action” to counter sanctions evasion, a European source said.
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