15:33, 26 June 2024Source:
EU ambassadors have reached agreement in principle on new sanctions against Belarus. This was reported by the Belgian representation in the Council of the EU.
“This [sanctions] package will strengthen our response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including combating sanctions circumvention,” it said.
In a separate statement, Belgium, which holds the EU Council presidency, noted that the new restrictions “close the biggest loophole in the sanctions regime,” Reuters reports .
According to one European diplomat, the sanctions cover dual-use goods, including chips used in household appliances, as well as advanced technologies and military products.
Deutsche Welle notes that the issue of new sanctions against Belarus was urgently put on the agenda, since this meeting of permanent representatives led by Belgium is the last. From July 1, the European Union will be led by rotation from Hungary.
“In recent months, it has become clear that the main way to circumvent sanctions [against Russia] is through Belarus. When we negotiated Package 14, we focused only on Russia, but there remains a loophole that needs to be closed,” a diplomatic source told DW in Brussels.
On June 24, the European Union approved a new, fourteenth, package of sanctions against Russia due to the war in Ukraine. The sanctions affect 116 people and companies, and are also imposed on the transit of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) through European ports. The EU will continue to purchase LNG from Russia, but will prohibit its re-export. The EU also introduced restrictions on the “shadow” Russian fleet, and 27 vessels were subject to sanctions. They were banned from entering European ports, and EU companies were banned from providing services to them.
(C)MEDUZA 2024