EU council extends current anti-Russian sanctions, orders new ones

The Council of the European Union, whose foreign ministers met in Brussels on January 29, resolved to extend the sanctions imposed against certain individuals and organizations, whom it considers implicated in violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty, until September 2015, the head of the EU diplomacy, Federica Mogherini, told a press conference in Brussels on Thursday.

Furthermore, the Council gave one week to the European Commission and the European External Action Service to draft additions to the sanctions lists of individuals and organizations. The decision is due to be made by the EU Foreign Affairs Council on February 9, she said.

«We have decided to have a proposal within one week of further names of individuals and entities, to be added to this list. That decision will be taken at the next Foreign Affairs Council, on 9 February. So, in 10 days,» she said after the EU Council meeting came to an end.

The third element of the EU joint decision, Mogherini added, is that both European Union External Action and the European Commission will start preparatory work on any other appropriate action that can be taken in view of ensuring the implementation of the Minsk agreement.

She also said that there is no surprising that sanctions have been decided to extend for more six months, because this is how the decisions are usually taken.

«And we hope that this can help putting pressure, in particular on Russia, to make positive steps and prevent negative steps that we have seen in recent days,» Mogherini stressed.

Currently, the EU blacklists contain 132 individuals and 28 companies.

At issue is the freezing of EU bank account of the sanctioned individuals and organizations and banning them from traveling to EU countries.

Source: Interfax-Ukraine