EU summit - EU states agree on Russia sanctions
The EU member states have agreed on a new package of sanctions against Russia. This was confirmed by a spokesperson for EU Council President Charles Michel on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels.
The package provides for the introduction of an import ban on diamonds and a tightening of the price cap on Russian oil exports to third countries, which has hardly had any effect recently. Trade restrictions are also planned for other goods as well as punitive measures against individuals and organizations that support the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine.
The agreement was reached during the EU summit. It is now to be formalized in a written procedure by tomorrow.
Belgium had previously prevented an import ban in the EU
Unlike the UK, the EU has not yet imposed an import ban on diamonds from Russia. For a long time, this was mainly due to resistance from Belgium, where the Flemish port city of Antwerp has been one of the most important diamond centers in the world since the 16th century. Russia, in turn, is considered the world's largest producer of rough diamonds. In 2021, the state diamond miner Alrosa had revenues of 332 billion rubles (around 3.41 billion euros).
In addition to the economic sanctions, according to EU information, sanctions are planned against more than 100 other individuals and organizations that support the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine. They would then no longer be able to dispose of assets held in the EU. The individuals concerned would also no longer be allowed to enter the EU. They are to come from the Russian military, defense and IT sectors, for example.
The last sanctions package to date came into force in June. It included, for example, an instrument to prevent the circumvention of sanctions that had already been imposed. A far-reaching ban on imports of crude oil, coal, steel, gold and luxury goods as well as punitive measures against banks and financial institutions have been in place for some time.
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Source: www.stern.de
