The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, has advocated on Thursday 5 May for the confiscation of assets belonging to Russians sanctioned by the EU.
“I am absolutely convinced that this is extremely important not only to freeze assets but also to make possible to confiscate it, to make it available for the rebuilding country”, he explained in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine ahead of the international donors’ conference (see other news).
Mr Michel acknowledged that to do this, was not simple in legal terms. “There are 27 legal systems across the EU and in many EU Member States this decision needs taking by the General Court in order to make this possible. It takes time, it is a difficult and long process”, he warned.
The President of the European Council explained that he had instructed the legal service of the Council to prepare “some possible ideas in order to find a legal solution in line with the principles of the rule of law, which would facilitate and make possible the confiscation of assets of people who are sanctioned by the EU or by other countries in the world”.
On 20 April, Peter Csonka, from the European Commission’s Directorate General of Justice, said that confiscation was only possible if there was a conviction. He said that the European Commission was looking for legal solutions, such as grounds for corruption or money laundering, which are offences that would allow the confiscation of assets (see EUROPE 12935/2). (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)