MEPs urge tougher enforcement of EU sanctions against Russia

European lawmakers have called on EU member states to ensure tougher enforcement of the bloc's sanctions against Russia over its war against Ukraine.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) during a voting session in Strasbourg, France, January 17, 2023.

Photo: EPA/JULIEN WARNAND

In a resolution adopted on Thursday, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voiced their "alarm over existing loopholes in the EU’s sanctions regime against Russia."

MEPs said they were "concerned about the lack of proper enforcement and attempts to undermine the effort to strategically weaken the Russian economic and industrial base, and hindering the country’s ability to wage war."

⚡ European Parliament: Sanctions against Russia not tough enough.

The existing sanctions against Russia simultaneously do not go far enough and are under-enforced, the European Parliament wrote in a statement about a resolution adopted on Nov. 9.https://t.co/pi4IwtBMIY

— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) November 9, 2023

The resolution said that "critical Western components still find their way to Russia via countries like China, Türkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Serbia," according to the European Parliament's website.

In their resolution, MEPs expressed "deep concern regarding ongoing trade in sanctioned war-critical goods between EU member states and Moscow and over reports that countries like Azerbaijan are whitewashing Russian gas for export to the EU."

EU lawmakers also said that "the European Union still remains one of Russia’s largest fossil fuel clients, due to continued imports of pipeline gas and LNG, as well as various exceptions to the ban on importing crude oil and oil products."

European Parliament calls for tougher enforcement of EU sanctions against Russia https://t.co/SlOMBllyRc pic.twitter.com/XXGPn1rSrm

— Ukrinform-EN (@Ukrinform_News) November 9, 2023

MEPs called on the EU and its member states to "reinforce and centralise EU-level oversight of sanctions implementation and to develop a mechanism for circumvention prevention and monitoring."

They also urged the EU to "strengthen coordination on the enforcement of existing sanctions on Russian oil exports, to properly close the EU market for Russian-origin fossil fuels."

In addition, "MEPs want the European Commission and EU member states to expand sanctions to include a full ban on the marketing and cutting of diamonds of Russian origin or re-exported by Russia to the EU," according to the EU legislature.

The resolution said the EU should "explore legal avenues allowing for the confiscation of frozen Russian assets and for their use for the reconstruction of Ukraine."

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, launching the largest military campaign in Europe since World War II.

Thursday is day 624 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.

(gs)

Source: ukrinform.net, europarl.europa.eu