On April 12, the Council of the European Union finally approved a directive that criminalizes the violation and circumvention of European Union sanctions, in particular against Russia.
This was reported by the press service of the Council.
The severity of the punishment should depend on the specific case. However, deliberate circumvention of sanctions will be punished particularly severely, up to five years in prison.
Legal entities can be prosecuted if an offense is committed by one of the heads of the organization. Such companies are at risk of having their licenses and permits to do business in the EU revoked.
The directive will enter into force on the 20th day after publication in the Official Journal of the EU. EU member states will have 12 months to incorporate the provisions of the directive into their national legislation.
- On March 12, the European Parliament voted to criminalize the violation and circumvention of European Union sanctions.
- The decision was made against the background of repeated reports that Russia is evading EU sanctions imposed for aggression against Ukraine. For example, at the end of March, it was reported that the Russian Federation, despite the sanctions, doubled the import of nitrocellulose, which is used in the production of artillery shells.