The European Union has closed loopholes for Russian ships in ports
The countries of the European Union agreed on the seventh package of restrictive measures against Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, reported this, "European Truth" reports.
"Member states have agreed to our strengthened and extended EU sanctions against the Kremlin. I welcome it. This sends a strong signal to Moscow: we will maintain high pressure as long as necessary," Von der Leyen emphasized.
According to the communiqué of the Council of the EU, the sanctions include a ban on the purchase, import, direct or indirect transfer of gold from the Russian Federation, including through third countries. The ban also extended to jewelry, although at first it was believed that the restrictions would be partial.
The list of dual-purpose goods that can be used for the military-industrial complex and are subject to export restrictions has been expanded.
The seventh package also expands the current ban on access of Russian ships to ports to close certain loopholes to circumvent previous sanctions.
Restrictions on the acceptance of deposits are being expanded - they include deposits of individuals and legal entities from third countries, in which the controlling stake belongs to citizens or residents of the Russian Federation. Acceptance of deposits for non-prohibited cross-border trade will require the prior approval of the relevant national authorities.
The EU Council also announced clarifications and adjustments to certain existing sanctions in areas related to food and energy security, air transport security and access to justice. In particular, the ban on interaction with state enterprises will be relaxed in the field of transportation of agricultural products and the supply of oil to third countries.
The EU seeks to avoid any measures that could lead to a deterioration in food security around the world," the EU Council explained.
The communique separately emphasizes that none of the sanctions measures affect trade in agricultural products and fertilizers between Russia and third countries, and the EU does not prevent third countries from buying medical products from the Russian Federation.
The list of persons subject to personal sanctions has also been expanded, and the list of new surnames and company names should be made public later. In addition, the EU strengthens reporting requirements, shifting the requirement to declare assets to the sanctioned persons themselves.
The European Union has already adopted six packages of economic and personal sanctions against Russia and Belarus in connection with the Russian military invasion of Ukraine. The ban on the import of Russian oil by sea became the main component of the sixth package of sanctions. The embargo will take effect in six months for oil and in eight months for petroleum products.
The Ukrainian side would like the European Union to include a total embargo on Russian energy carriers in the seventh package of sanctions against the Russian Federation.
In March, the European Union included the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping in the list of sanctions and introduced restrictions on the export of navigation and marine radio communication technologies.
On March 1, the members of the European Parliament approved a resolution calling on EU member states to increase sanctions pressure on Russia and Belarus, in particular, recommending the closure of all European Union ports to vessels bound from or to Russia and vessels registered in Russia or owned by Russians to the owners