The bypass of the restrictive measures taken by the twenty-seven against Moscow is now a “Eurocrime”.
by Virginie Malingre (Brussels, European office)
Symbolically, it is a strong act. While the war in Ukraine continues to wreak havoc, the twenty-seven decided unanimously, Monday, November 28, to make the bypass of the sanctions a “Eurocrimime”, that is to say a crime sufficiently serious for deserve that Europeans harmonize their legislation.
The violation of sanctions thus joins a list inscribed in the Lisbon Treaty which had so far had never been amended, despite certain attempts. She is now there alongside terrorism, trafficking in human beings, illicit drugs of drugs or weapons, sexual exploitation of women and children, money laundering, organized crime, IT crime and the counterfeit means of payment. Even Hungary, very jealous of its national sovereignty and close to the Kremlin, did not oppose it.
Common legislative base
If Russia and Belarus are not the only ones concerned – Iran and any other regime subject to restrictive measures on the part of Europeans are also -, these two countries are nonetheless the first aims. Since February 24, the twenty-seven have adopted eight sanctions packages which are intended to dry the Russian economy and to deprive Moscow of its sources of funding for the war. They also target all people (1,239 to date, including President Vladimir Putin and his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Lavrov) or close entities (116) of the Kremlin likely to support the war effort.
Beyond the symbolism, this decision of Europeans must allow them to prosecute those who violate sanctions like those who would help them, but also to confiscate some of the yachts, villas and other bank accounts than these oligarchs Now criminals with regard to Community law have on European soil. While Ukraine is a little more destroyed every day under the assault of Moscow, it could help, when the time comes, to finance its reconstruction.
The Commission must present a proposal for a directive, Friday, December 2, in order to precisely specify the legislative base with which the twenty-seven will have to punish this new Eurocrime. Today, within the European Union (EU), only twelve countries have already made a criminal offense (Denmark, France, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg, Hungary, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, Finland, Sweden), which is accompanied by a substantial sentence. Two – Slovakia and Spain – have nothing planned to fight it. As for the others, their fines are relatively low.
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