The European Commission presented a draft of a new, 20th EU sanctions package against Russia, which focuses primarily on energy, financial services, and trade. According to the PromPolitInform portal, this was stated in a statement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the text of which was obtained by European Pravda.
The 20th EU sanctions package against Russia will hit Russian energy exports, restrict financial services, and introduce a number of trade restrictions.
It is worth noting that the 20th sanctions package must now be discussed and approved by the EU Council; its support requires a unanimous vote of all 27 EU member states.
«The new sanctions package covers energy, financial services, and trade. In the energy sector, we are introducing a complete ban on offshore services for Russian crude oil,» the statement reads.
This measure is expected to «further reduce Russia’s energy revenues and make it more difficult to find buyers for its oil.»
«Because shipping is a global business, we propose to implement this comprehensive ban in coordination with like-minded partners following the G7 decision,» von der Leyen noted.
«We are adding 43 more vessels to the list of shadow fleet vessels, bringing the total to 640,» she added.
The EU will also make it more difficult for Russia to acquire tankers for use in the shadow fleet and is adding bans on maintenance and other services for LNG tankers and icebreakers, further harming gas export projects.
«This complements our ban on liquefied natural gas imports agreed upon in Package 19 and the RepowerEU Regulation,» the statement said.
The second set of measures is to restrict the Russian banking system and its ability to create alternative payment channels to finance economic activity. «We are adding 20 more Russian regional banks to the list, and we will take action against cryptocurrencies, companies that trade them, and platforms that facilitate cryptocurrency trading to close the door to sanctions evasion,» the European Commission President noted.
According to her, the sanctions also target several banks in third countries involved in facilitating the illicit trade of sanctioned goods.
The third set of measures includes new bans on goods and services—from rubber to tractors and cybersecurity services—worth over €360 million.
«We are also introducing new bans on imports of metals, chemicals, and critical minerals not already under sanctions, worth over €570 million. And we are introducing further export restrictions on items and technologies used in Russia’s military efforts, such as materials used to make explosives. We are proposing a quota on ammonia to limit existing imports,» the statement continued.
As reported by European Pravda, the European Commission’s announcement of the 20th EU sanctions package against Russia was somewhat delayed due to discussions surrounding a proposal to completely ban maritime services in EU ports for all vessels transporting Russian oil.
The European Commission was expected to announce the package’s content this week.
France is known to have insisted that the 20th EU sanctions package against Russia be «particularly tough» on the shadow fleet.
