The EU is preparing new sanctions against Belarus for its role in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Bloomberg revealed on Friday 27 January. An EU source told EUROPE that they could be adopted next week.
The proposed measures include export bans on dual-use goods and technologies used for military purposes and that could enhance the nation’s industrial capacity; sanctions on oil, coal, steel products and gold; measures that would hit the nation’s aviation and energy sectors and key sources of revenue; and trade restrictions on luxury goods, investments and the provision of certain services.
According to an EU source, these measures are expected to have an impact on around 60% of trade between Belarus and the EU.
They should more or less mirror sanctions against Russia to avoid circumvention, the source told EUROPE.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced on 10 January that the EU would propose new sanctions due to Belarus’ role in the Russian war in Ukraine (see EUROPE 13096/18).
Extension of sanctions against Russia
Furthermore, on Friday 27 January, the EU Council extended the restrictive measures targeting specific sectors of the Russian economy by 6 months, until 31 July.
These sanctions were introduced in 2014 and have since been renewed every 6 months. They have been considerably expanded since February 2022 and include restrictions on energy, trade, finance and banking, technology and dual-use goods, industry, transport, and luxury goods. The sanctions also target disinformation. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)