The EU will extend sectoral sanctions against Russia for a full year
The EU Council is preparing to extend sector-specific restrictive measures against Russia for another year. Previously, this sanctions package was renewed every six months.
According to sources, EU ambassadors meeting in the Coreper format unanimously agreed to extend the sanctions package.
For the first time, the change is that the sanctions are being extended not for 6 months, but for 12 months at once
Final formal approval is to be adopted by the EU Council through a written procedure.
As one of the sources noted, the decision is important in terms of the stability of the sanctions policy. Previously, each extension required political approval every six months, which allowed individual member states to block or delay the process. Now the mechanism is less vulnerable to political bargaining.
In particular, such discussions previously complicated the positions of certain governments, including Hungary’s.
During the European Council summit on June 18, EU leaders agreed for the first time to extend sanctions against Russia for 12 months at a time instead of 6.
This decision is part of the European Union’s broader strategy to increase the predictability of its sanctions policy, reduce political blockages, and maintain steady pressure on Russia through economic restrictions.
Once the written procedure is completed, the sanctions package will be officially extended for another year, without the need for a review every six months.
This was reported by two European officials familiar with the process, speaking on condition of anonymity.
As a reminder, at the summit in Brussels on June 18, the European Union decided for the first time to extend sanctions against Russia not for the standard six months, but for a full year. In doing so, the EU is moving away from its previous practice of regularly reviewing sanctions every six months.
The EU Council is expected to officially approve the new sanctions package in the coming weeks, according to Deutsche Welle.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, during which the parties discussed Ukraine’s integration into the European Union and strengthening the protection of Ukrainian airspace.
The European Commission plans to propose on June 16 the opening of the first cluster of negotiations on the accession of Ukraine and Moldova to the European Union.
