The European Union Member States agreed, on Thursday 15 December, on the ninth package of sanctions against Russia (see EUROPE 13079/1).
“We have succeeded in reaching an agreement on the ninth sanctions package. (...) Once again, we are finding the way to be firm (...) to put pressure on the Kremlin’s war machine and at the same time we are ensuring that food security, the EU’s commitment not to threaten food security, is guaranteed”, announced the President of the European Council, Charles Michel.
As leaders continued their discussion, Member State ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) met in the late afternoon to find a solution on derogations for agricultural products and fertilizers. Member States are said to have clarified that the products are used for food security purposes and linked to producers traditionally active in the fertiliser business. These clarifications will also allow each Member State to take into account its national security interests, according to information obtained by EUROPE.
“Together with Poland, we have managed to obtain optional security guarantees that fill all the gaps. Lithuania will choose to keep the doors closed”, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis warned via Twitter.
The written procedure for the formal adoption of the sanctions will end this Friday at noon.
In its conclusions, the European Council warned that “the Union (was) ready to continue to strengthen restrictive measures”. It also recalled the importance of ensuring effective implementation, preventing circumvention and facilitating enforcement, and reiterated the call for third countries to align themselves with these sanctions.
The European Council also underlined that it would continue to support Ukraine in military, political and financial terms, and that it would support the accountability and reconstruction of the country. The leaders welcomed the agreement on €18 billion in macrofinancial assistance to Ukraine (see other news) and the increase in the size of the ‘European Peace Facility’.
“We have emphasised once again that the treacherous Russian strategy of destroying Ukrainian infrastructure and exposing citizens to the brutal winter cold must not and will not succeed. Our common determination to support Ukraine as long as necessary politically, humanitarian, financially and also with weapons is intact”, summarised the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz.
The conclusions state that the EU will urgently step up the provision of humanitarian and civil protection assistance.
Earlier in the day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video conference that “macrofinancial support for Ukraine and the strengthening of EU sanctions against Russia (were) also weapons for the defence of freedom”.
See the European Council conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/4pd (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant, with Lionel Changeur, Mathieu Bion, Damien Genicot and Pascal Hansens)