EU Council includes circumvention of sanctions against Russia in the list of criminal offenses

The press service of EU Council reports.

"The EU has responded with determination to Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war against Ukraine. It has adopted an unprecedented number of sanctions to target Russia’s economy and thwart its ability to continue with this aggression. To succeed, their implementation requires a joint effort, and today’s decision is an essential tool to ensure any attempts to circumvent these measures will be stopped," Czech Minister of Justice Pavel Blazek commented on unanimous adoption of this decision.

He emphasized importance of maintaining sanctions imposed by EU against Russia. Member states currently have different definitions of what constitutes a sanctions violation and what penalties should be applied in case of violation. This could lead to varying degrees of sanctions and the risk of circumvention of these measures, potentially allowing those subject to restrictions to continue to have access to their assets and support regimes targeted by EU measures.

Inclusion of violation of restrictive measures in the list of "EU crimes" is the first of two steps aimed at ensuring same level of application of sanctions throughout European Union and preventing attempts to circumvent or violate EU measures.

Thus, after adoption of this decision, European Commission will present a proposal for directive that will contain minimum rules for defining criminal offenses and punishments for violating EU restrictive measures. Then this draft directive must be approved by the Council and European Parliament.