The EU wants to prevent prohibited deliveries to Russia from going through third countries such as Kazakhstan. To this end, the Brussels Commission has proposed an eleventh package of sanctions.
The European Union plans further punitive measures against Russia because of the war of aggression against Ukraine. With its eleventh package of sanctions, the EU wants to ensure that sanctions that have already been imposed on the country can no longer be circumvented so easily. The EU Commission’s proposal therefore provides for exports to third countries to be restricted in the future if necessary.
Deliveries from certain countries increased sharply
The export of many high-tech products to Russia has been banned for some time. This applies, among other things, to certain computer chips, vehicles or machines. But also for goods that can be used for both civil and military purposes – such as drones.
Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said the aim was to prevent prohibited goods from Europe from reaching the Russian military via detours. Deliveries from Armenia, Kazakhstan or the United Arab Emirates to Russia have recently increased significantly.
China and Hong Kong could also be affected
Apparently, companies in China and Hong Kong could also be affected by the new punitive measures for the first time. The leadership in Beijing is threatening the EU with “decisive countermeasures” in this case: sanctions against Chinese companies are the wrong approach and very dangerous.
On Wednesday, the EU ambassadors in Brussels will discuss the Commission’s proposals for the first time. The new sanctions can only be decided unanimously by the 27 member states.
The China expert and Green MEP Reinhard Bütikofer described the upcoming decision on Twitter as a touchstone as to whether the EU would cave in to threats from Beijing.