France and Italy have blocked part of the EU's 21st package of sanctions against Russia
Paris and Rome have expressed reservations about certain provisions of the European Union’s new, 21st sanctions package against Russia. The countries did not support the proposed ban on entry into the EU for former Russian military personnel, which complicates the process of agreeing on the final version of the restrictions.
This was reported by Bloomberg.
According to the publication’s sources, France and Italy are not opposed to barring former Russian military personnel from entering the European Union. At the same time, they believe that the current version of the document could effectively pave the way for a broader entry ban on Russian citizens.
Furthermore, Paris and Rome are convinced that such restrictions would be better implemented through visa policy rather than as part of a sanctions regime.
Another point of discussion was the practical application of the new rules. According to the agency’s sources, the proposed mechanism places the responsibility on each EU member state to independently determine whether a specific individual participated in hostilities. In the view of France and Italy, this will be difficult to implement in practice.
In addition, disputes arose over the mechanism for capping the price of Russian oil. Last year, the European Union agreed on a floating formula under which the price cap was to be 15% below the average market price of Russian Urals crude.
However, due to a sharp rise in global oil prices caused by the war between Iran and the U.S., the price cap could rise to at least $65 per barrel following a July review. This is higher than the previous cap of $60 and significantly higher than the current level of $44.10. European officials are currently considering two options: leaving the price cap unchanged or raising it back to $60 per barrel.
The new sanctions package also aims to reduce Russia’s revenue from energy exports and impose new restrictions on banks, cryptocurrency operators, and tankers that help circumvent existing sanctions. In addition, the document proposes extending the sanctions regime to vessels transporting Russian liquefied natural gas to prevent the creation of a new “shadow” fleet for its export.
At the same time, some EU member states are insisting on a longer transition period for the implementation of these restrictions. Certain countries have also expressed concern over plans to restrict imports of certain types of Russian seafood, according to the agency’s report.
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 departing 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.
