Having focused on the enforcement of sanctions by the United States, United Kingdom and the European Union in the past weeks, this week we will take a closer look at the current enforcement practice of the German authorities and the changes to be expected following the newly announced G7 Enforcement Coordination Mechanism. What are the recent sanctions enforcement trends in Germany? We note that the enforcement of the EU sanctions, particularly against Russia, is taken…
Criminalisation of EU sanctions violations The EU Council has unanimously decided to add the violation of restrictive measures to the list of ‘EU crimes’. See here for Council press release. Currently Member States have different definitions of what constitutes a violation of EU sanctions and what penalties should be applied in the event of a violation. The Decision by the Council means that eventually these issues will be harmonised across the EU. However, this will not…
In response to the growing impact of the COVID-19 Coronavirus in Europe, a number of countries have implemented national controls to restrict the export of medicines and medical equipment, such as face masks, gloves, and protective clothing. Over the weekend, the EU Commission reviewed actions taken by Member States and, while it has discouraged Member States from adopting measures which would limit intra-EU trade, it has introduced a temporary export ban on exports of certain…