European Union ambassadors have decided to extend the sanctions imposed for the illegal annexation of Crimea by Russia for another year.
The decision was taken on June 12 in Brussels at a meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER).
This decision has yet to be approved next week by the EU Council.
These restrictive measures were introduced in June 2014 and are extended for a year. The last time such a decision was made on June 23, 2018.
In total, the EU has applied four types of sanctions. In addition to the “Crimean sanctions,” there are individual sanctions for actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity of Ukraine. There is also a so-called “Ukrainian list,” including former high-ranking Ukrainian officials who served under disgraced ex-President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, who were sanctioned for abusing state funds. These sanctions are also reviewed annually. The last time the decision on the “Ukrainian list” was made was on March 4 of this year. The sanctions were then extended until March 6, 2020.
The fourth package is the economic sanctions against Russia introduced in July 2014 and intensified in September 2014. They were subsequently associated with the implementation of the Minsk agreements. A decision regarding these sanctions is taken every six months. In December 2018, EU leaders approved the decision to extend the term of the sanctions, which expired on January 31 of this year, for another six months. It is expected that the sanctions will be extended at the next EU summit, which will be held on June 20 in Brussels.
