The six-month extension of EU economic sanctions against Russia became official on Tuesday 20 December with publication of the legal acts in the EU Official Journal.
On Monday, the Council used the written procedure to extend the sanctions until 31 July 2017, following agreement in principle on the prolongation at the European summit of 15 December (see EUROPE 11690).
The sanctions include financial measures against services, equipment and energy technology, an export and import ban on trade in arms and related supplies, and an export ban for dual-use goods for military use or military end-users in Russia.
The economic sanctions were introduced on 31 July 2014 initially for one year (see EUROPE 11133) in response to Russia's actions in eastern Ukraine. They were reinforced in September 2014 (see EUROPE 11153) and have been renewed several times since. On 19 March 2015, the European Council agreed to link the duration of the sanctions to the complete implementation of the Minsk agreements. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)