EC details proposed 10th package of sanctions against Russia
European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled on February 15 further details of the EC’s proposed 10th package of sanctions against Russia, urging EU countries to adopt them swiftly.
The EC is proposing further export bans worth more than 11 billion euro, to deprive the Russian economy of critical technology and industrial goods, Von der Leyen said.
“For maximum impact, we are targeting many industrial goods that Russia needs, and that it cannot get through backfilling by third countries,” she said.
Vital goods such as electronics, specialized vehicles, machine parts, spare parts for trucks and jet engines: “And we are targeting goods for the construction sector which can be directed to Russia’s military, such as antennas or cranes,” Von der Leyen said.
The EC is proposing further restrictions on the export of dual use goods and advanced tech goods.
“We propose controls on 47 new electronic components that can be used in Russian weapons systems, including drones, missiles, helicopters. And on specific rare earth materials and thermal cameras,” Von der Leyen said.
“With this, we have banned all tech products found on the battlefield. And we will make sure they don’t find other ways to get there.”
“This is why, for the first time ever, we are adding third country entities to the Russia dual use sanctions,” Von der Leyen said, adding that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards had been providing Russia with Shahed drones to attack civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.
For this reason, the EC is now adding seven Iranian entities to its dual use regime: “They are now under a complete ban to sell sensitive items to Russia. And we stand ready to list further Iranian and other third country entities that are providing sensitive technology to Russia. This should act as a strong deterrent to other companies and international traders.”
The third point is about Russia’s propaganda machine, she said.
“Putin is also waging war in the public space, with an army of propagandists and disinformation networks. They are spreading toxic lies to polarise our societies. So we are proposing to list Putin’s propagandists as well as additional military and political commanders.”
Von der Leyen said that the sanctions, the toughest ever introduced by the EU, had to be strictly applied, and therefore the 10th package of sanctions introduces new measures to prevent circumvention.
“We will track oligarchs trying to hide or to sell their assets to escape sanctions. And together with Member States we will set up an overview of all frozen assets of the Russian central bank held in the EU. We need to know where these are located and how much they are worth. This is crucial in view of the possible use of public Russian assets to fund reconstruction in Ukraine.”
Von der Leyen said that the EC was working closely with EU countries, operators and partner countries to tackle circumvention.
The EC’s special envoy David O’Sullivan is reaching out to third countries, to ensure strict implementation of sanctions and prevent circumvention, Von der Leyen said.
The EC will next week will organise a Sanctions Coordinators Forum, gathering its international partners and EU countries, to strengthen enforcement efforts.
“Together, we are tightening the screws on Russia more and more. I call on the member states to adopt this new package of sanctions swiftly. Our aim is to have, together with our G7 partners, further significant sanctions in place by February 24 – exactly one year after Putin launched his imperial war.”
(Photo: EC Audiovisual Service)
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