On Tuesday 25 March, the European Commission activated an ‘EU Sanctions Helpdesk’ for European SMEs to help them comply with EU and UN sanctions regimes.
This helpdesk will be able to offer a personalised service to companies on the measures they must comply with depending on their sector of activity and their international activities.
The Commission has also launched a dedicated website, which provides information on EU and UN sanctions regimes, guidance on specific third countries and feedback.
Managers of European SMEs operating outside the EU are invited to consider the nature of their counterparties (customers, agents, distributors), the risk that their sector of activity may represent (dual-use equipment, inclusion on the European list of critical goods), the geographical location of their activities (countries subject to sanctions, neighbouring countries of a sanctioned country) and the possible end use of their product or the service provided.
“The EU has over 40 sanctions regimes globally to prevent conflict or respond to current or emerging crises. (...) This one-stop-shop will help SMEs understand how to comply with sanctions and assist those SMEs that find it challenging to perform due diligence independently”, said European Commissioner for Financial Services Maria Luís Albuquerque, in a press release.
Further information: https://aeur.eu/f/g3m (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)