On Wednesday 25 January, the General Court of the EU rejected the appeal launched by the Russian company, Almaz-Antey Air and Space Defense against the 2014 decision made by the Council of the EU (Case.T-255/15) to freeze its funds for having supported Russia’s destabilisation efforts in Ukraine through the public provision of weapons to the Russian state and retroceded by the latter to separatist rebels in Ukraine (see EUROPE 11133).
The Court finds that this decision by the Council was proportionate and appropriate because the freezing of funds was to prevent an escalation in the Ukrainian conflict. According to the judges at the Court, given the difficulties of the task, the Council was not obliged to demonstrate that the arms produced by the company had effectively been used by the separatists. According to the General Court, establishing whether it was the rebels or the Ukrainian army that launched the BUK missile manufactured by the company that brought down the MH17 Malaysian Airlines aircraft on 17 July 2014 is irrelevant because this event was not a decisive reason for freezing the company’s funds. (Original version in French by Francesco Gariazzo)