In 2024 alone, delays in introducing full restrictions will cost Russia at least $2 billion, deputies warned.
The European Union is already working on the 14th package of sanctions, but the existing bans have not yet prevented Russia from making billions of dollars. That is why the EU must act more harshly, and work not only to introduce new sanctions, but also to tighten existing ones. This was stated in an appeal to the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, from representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) of three countries – Ukraine, Poland and Estonia, published on Friday, June 7.
According to them, there is a loophole that the Kremlin is actively exploiting – it depends on the fact that there are businesses in the EU that are owned by Russians or associated with Russia.
“The people who own them enjoy all the privileges – they live in a democratic society, but at the same time, they abuse the privileges to ensure the enrichment of the Kremlin regime,” the deputies pointed out.
As an example, the signatories cite the Novolipetsk Metallurgical Company (NLMK) and its real owner, Vladimir Lisin. NLMK owns and operates metallurgical plants in Denmark, Italy and Belgium. At the same time, NLMK is the largest manufacturer of electric steel in Russia: the company helps the Kremlin to make missile systems Thor And wasp, radar stations for S-400 and intercontinental ballistic missiles.
“The basis of the Russian economy is metallurgy, as well as the oil and gas industry. The Kremlin makes billions by cynically violating international trade and fair competition. No one in the world has so much accessible energy resources. This allows Russian companies to produce cheap products and actively dump them on the market, causing damage to European and Asian competitors,” the appeal said.
People’s representatives recalled that the EU has already imposed sanctions against some metal products from the Russian Federation. But the quotas for Russian slabs have been extended for another four years – until October 2028.
“Every ton of Russian metal products is the blood of Ukrainians only in 2024, delaying the introduction of full restrictions will give Russia at least $2 billion And they will be new missiles for bombing Ukraine .
They called on the EU to be tougher: to permanently introduce sanctions and completely stop the import of Russian metal products into the EU, which would weaken the Russian economy and reach a tipping point in the war threatening the security of all of Europe.
The letter to Josep Borrell was signed by the People’s Deputy of Ukraine, Chairman of the PACE Committee on Migration and Refugees Alexei Goncharenko, Member of the Estonian Parliament, Chairman of the Estonian delegation to PACE Eric Cross, and Deputy of the Sejm of Poland, Chairman of the delegation of Poland at PACE Arkadiusz Mulyar.
We remind you that on December 18, the European Union announced the 12th package of sanctions against Russia. Within its limits, the quotas for Russian slabs were extended for another four years. The total import quota for these products from October 2024 to September 2028 is set at 8.5 million tons.
Previous sanctions on the import of slabs were introduced in October last year, as part of the 8th package of sanctions: then it was decided that it could continue until the end of September 2024 within the established quota, and from October 1, 2024, imports will stop. However, the 12th package of sanctions actually weakens the previously introduced restrictions.
Source: korrespondent
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