Updated

Updated · Euronews · Aug 17

EU to Seek 1,000 More Russia Sanctions This Autumn as 21st Package Was Watered Down

Updated

Updated · Euronews · Aug 17

EU to Seek 1,000 More Russia Sanctions This Autumn as 21st Package Was Watered Down

Q: As the EU prepares its massive new sanctions list, which divided member state holds the power to derail the October deadline?

Greece holds the clearest power to derail the EU’s October target. Because EU sanctions require unanimous approval from all 27 member states, any single capital can block or delay adoption. But the reporting points to Greece as the member state most likely to do so, based on its role in stalling the 21st sanctions package in July over Russian LNG transshipment rules and the impact on its shipping industry. That recent dispute matters because the new package is being designed to avoid the same kind of delay. EU diplomats told Reuters the coming proposal will focus mainly on listings — around 1,600 Russian individuals and entities, largely tied to the military-industrial complex — rather than broader sectoral sanctions, precisely because sectoral measures have proved more contentious among member states. The background reporting repeatedly identifies Athens as the biggest recent obstacle in Russia sanctions talks. Greece pushed back on LNG-related restrictions, arguing they would hurt its globally significant shipping sector while doing little to reduce Russian exports. Brussels ultimately had to negotiate an exemption to secure agreement. So while any member state could still hold up the package under the unanimity rule, Greece is the divided member state most clearly positioned — and most recently proven willing — to derail the October deadline.

3 articles · Updated · Euronews · Aug 17

A new EU sanctions push this autumn would expand the bloc’s Russia blacklist by about a third, adding roughly 1,000 individuals and entities to more than 3,000 already targeted.
Kaja Kallas said she will propose the most far-reaching listings since the war began, arguing pressure must keep rising until Moscow ends its invasion and that EU sanctions have already cost Russia over €1 trillion.
The move follows frustration that the 21st sanctions package was diluted after Greece demanded and won an exemption from an EU-wide ban on shipping Russian LNG to protect national economic interests.
Any new listings still need unanimous backing from all 27 member states, underscoring how internal divisions could again limit measures aimed at Russia’s military, industrial base and export revenues.
Kallas also said the EU and US could move closer on sanctions after a bipartisan Senate vote on a Russia bill, easing some Brussels concern since Donald Trump’s re-election.