EU is close to adopting a new package of sanctions against Russia — Stefanishina

An agreement on the 18th package of restrictions may be reached this week, despite the resistance of Hungary and Slovakia.

The European Union may agree on the 18th package of sanctions against Russia this week. This was announced by Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration Olga Stefanishyna during a telethon, writes Ukrinform.

She recalled that during the approval of the previous package of restrictions, it was Hungary’s position that blocked its approval for almost a day. In response to such risks, a number of EU countries have begun legal preparations to remove frozen Russian assets from periodic sanctions decisions in order to eliminate the need for unanimous consent every six months.

Hungary has devalued the very essence of the discussion: it is no longer about how to use these assets, but whether to leave them frozen at all, Stefanishyna noted. At the same time, she emphasized that after losing the potential “veto right,” Hungary became more accommodating in the negotiations.

Despite a possible breakthrough, the situation raises concerns about the effectiveness of the EU’s sanctions policy.

“There should be a tough proactive position on both enlargement and sanctions and defense capabilities at the EU level. This should not be a matter of discussion, it should be a matter of conditions. And without this, the EU, unfortunately, will lose if such political determination is not at the pan-European level, but at the level of individual leaders. For us, it is simply a matter of survival,” the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized.

The day before, USM reported that Sweden and Denmark would step up inspections of Russian tankers in the Baltic Sea.