Brussels, 08/09/2014 (Agence Europe) - As EUROPE went to press, uncertainty was still swirling around adoption of the fresh sanctions against Russia in relation to the Ukrainian crisis. The written procedure on the adoption of the sanctions, that was due to be concluded by 3.00pm, was extended to 6.00pm “to allow the member states more time to respond”, according to a European source. The member states' ambassadors to the European Union met on conclusion of the written procedure, at 6.00pm, to discuss implementation of the sanctions against Russia. By 6.00pm several member states do not appear to have responded to the written procedure. Questions have, therefore, to be asked about the date of implementation of these sanctions. A European source told EUROPE that there had been “a lack of clarity with regard to the written procedure” and that the outcome of the ambassadors' meeting would have to be awaited. A further source stated that Coreper was meeting to “consider which way to go, the next stages”. The ambassadors approved the sanctions in the evening of 5 September.
Initially, the new sanctions were to be adopted on 8 September and to come into force on 9 September. They included stronger measures on access to capital markets, defence, dual-use (civilian and military) equipment and sensitive technology. According to French news agency AFP, which quoted European sources, the new measures would restrict the access of major Russian oil companies Rosneft and Transneft to capital markets, and the oil activities of Gazprom.
A new list of the persons subject to an asset freeze and to a European visa ban was also planned. In a joint press release in the evening of 5 September, the presidents of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, and the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, said that a new list of persons, “including the new leadership in Donbass, the government of Crimea as well as Russian decision-makers and oligarchs”, was put to the member states. This enhanced sanctions package “will increase the effectiveness of the measures already in place. It will also reinforce the principle that EU sanctions are directed at promoting a change of course in Russia's actions in Ukraine”, the two presidents stated.
On Sunday 7 September, Van Rompuy said on Belgian TV channel VRT that the EU was ready, “if the ceasefire holds and/or if peace talks begin, to look again at the sanctions”. “The ceasefire is an important step but it is only a step”, he stressed. “The most important thing was to get a ceasefire. There have been a few incidents. We will have to wait a little to see if these incidents last or if they are just isolated cases”, he further stated. Since the announcement of the ceasefire, a woman has been killed in Mariupol, where fighting took place and, on Sunday, the area around the Donetsk airport saw artillery fire.
Shortly after the ceasefire was announced, the spokesperson for EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton hailed the agreement, and called for it to be respected and fully implemented by all parties. “We hope that this will be a first step towards a lasting political solution, based on respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”, he added. The spokesperson stated that full control of the border and the withdrawal of illegal armed groups and Russian forces operating illegally in the country had to be an integral part of the solution.
Russia threatens retaliation. Russia's Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev warned that his country would respond to the adoption of new measures. “Should there be sanctions linked to the energy sector or providing for new restrictions for our financial sector, we will have to respond asymmetrically”, he said in an interview with Russian newspaper Vedomosti. He cited “for example, limitations in the air sector” - which could be translated through a ban on Western airlines flying over Russian territory for Europe-Asia flights. “If Western airlines circumvent our airspace, this could bankrupt many companies that are already teetering on the edge of survival”, he added (our translation throughout).
In addition, on Monday 8 September, the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee backed the ratification of the text for the association agreement between the EU and Ukraine. A vote will be made on the text at the Parliament's plenary session next week - alongside the vote of the Ukrainian Parliament (the Rada). (CG)