The European Commission has opened proceedings against 18 countries for failing to comply with sanctions against Russia

On Thursday, the European Commission launched proceedings against 18 member states, including Poland, for failing to comply with a directive that provides for criminal liability for circumventing EU sanctions. The directive was adopted to better enforce restrictions imposed on Russia.

Member states had until May 20 this year to inform the European Commission about their implementation of the directive.

Eighteen countries, including Poland, failed to do so, prompting the EC to launch infringement proceedings against them. These countries now have two months to respond. If the EC finds their response unsatisfactory, it will issue a reasoned opinion and, as a next step, may refer the case to the EU Court of Justice.

In addition to Poland, the letters with official notifications published by the EC on Thursday also concerned Belgium, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Cyprus, Hungary, Malta, Austria, Portugal, Romania, and Slovenia.

The directive defining offences for violations of EU sanctions was proposed by the EC in December 2022, after the European Community began to impose massive restrictions against Russia following the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The idea was for all countries to introduce the same penalties for non-compliance with EU restrictions, making them harder to circumvent.

“Harmonizing national criminal legislation in this area will facilitate the investigation and prosecution of violations of EU sanctions in all member states, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of EU restrictive measures,” the EC said in a statement published on Thursday.

Under the directive, certain activities, such as helping to circumvent travel bans, trading in sanctioned goods, or engaging in prohibited financial activities, have been criminalized. Until now, EU member states were not required to criminalize sanctions violations and could apply administrative penalties instead of criminal sanctions.

Source: PAP