European Commission: 18th package of sanctions against Russia to take effect this week

Deputy chief spokesperson of the European Commission, Arianna Podesta, said this on August 5 in response to a question from a European Pravda correspondent.

Podesta stressed that the 18th EU sanctions package will come into force by the end of the week.

"The 18th package of sanctions will take effect in a few days, by the end of the week, if I’m not mistaken," Podesta said.

She added that the European Commission is currently "fully focused on enforcing the sanctions packages we’ve already adopted."

"Sanctions require constant work, because there are always ways to bypass them. That’s why we need to keep improving how we enforce the ones already in place, it’s part of the process," the Commission spokeswoman said.

Podesta also noted that the Commission is "working on future sanctions to increase pressure on Russia."