30/04/2021 (Agence Europe) – Russia announced on Friday 30 April that eight European officials, including the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, and the Vice-President of the Commission for Values and Transparency, the Czech Republic’s Vera Jourova, have been banned from entering the country. Moscow took these measures in retaliation for sanctions adopted by the EU Council on 2 and 22 March against those responsible for the arrest and imprisonment of opposition politician Alexei Navalny and for massive and systematic persecution in Chechnya (see EUROPE 12669/36, 12683/1). “The EU continues its policy of illegitimate unilateral restrictive measures against Russian citizens and organisations”, the Russian Foreign Ministry denounced. This is not the first time that Russia has declared European officials persona non grata (see EUROPE 11325/1). (CG)