By VILNIUS. Nov 13 (Interfax-Ukraine/BNS) – The next package of anti-Russian sanctions to be introduced by the European Union will include both individual and sectoral restrictions, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said on Monday ahead of another meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council.
“It [the 12th sanctions package] includes individual sanctions, sectoral sanctions, and sanctions against specific companies,” the news agency BNS quoted Landsbergis as saying. The new series of sanctions will encompass a number of fields, he said.
As political debate on the new package of anti-Russian sanctions begins, the final version will “most likely be weaker,” he said.
“However, given that considerable time has passed since the last package, it is a pretty good package,” he said.
The EU is discussing the 12th package of sanctions against Russia, including export restrictions on chemicals, technology, and diamond shipments from Russia. As was reported previously by The Financial Times, diamonds are one of the major Russian exports thus far not affected by EU sanctions.
Discussions on the new package have taken longer than expected, European Commission Chief Spokesperson Eric Mamer said on November 10. The European Commission is planning to present the package of measures soon, but has not provided any exact dates yet.
The EU adopted the previous package of sanctions in June. In mid-October, Poland submitted its proposal on the 12th package to the European Commission. It includes sanctions on Russian diamonds, as well as restrictive measures in relation to a broader range of individuals and legal entities. Apart from diamonds, Poland has proposed to ban any imports of liquefied hydrocarbon gas from Russia and any use of Russian services related to information and communications technology.
