Circumvention of sanctions will be considered a crime, the Council of the EU

Today, November 28, the EU Council unanimously decided to add sanctions violations to the list of “EU crimes” included in the Treaty on the Functioning of the Union.

“The EU has adopted a number of restrictive measures in the context of Russia’s aggressive war against Ukraine, and it is important that these measures are fully implemented,” the agency’s press service said in a statement.

Currently, EU member states have different definitions of what constitutes a violation of restrictive measures and what penalties should be applied in case of circumvention of sanctions. This can lead to varying degrees of enforcement and the risk of circumvention, potentially allowing sanctioned individuals to continue to use their assets.

Adding sanctions violations to the list of “EU crimes” is the first of two steps aimed at ensuring the same level of application of the restrictions across the EU and preventing attempts to circumvent or breach them.

The European Commission will soon present a proposal for a directive that will contain minimum rules on the definition of criminal offenses and penalties for violations of European sanctions. Then the draft directive must be discussed and approved by the Council of the EU and the European Parliament.