Philippe Reich (Switzerland), Author at Global Sanctions and Export Controls Blog

Webinar summary: Russia sanctions – the end of the beginning? – Tuesday 3 June

June 10, 2025 By Ben Smith (UK), Olof Konig (Sweden), Judith Mulholland (UK), Philippe Reich (Switzerland), Michael Amberg (UK) and Johanna Asplund (UK) 2 Mins Read

As part of the Annual Compliance Conference webinar series, this session explored the evolving global sanctions landscape in relation to Russia, over three years since the first wave of sanctions following the outbreak of war in February 2022. The panel examined the current state of play, recent developments, and what may lie ahead for businesses navigating this complex environment. Sanctions developments:Speakers provided updates on the 17th EU sanctions package (May 2025), including measures targeting the…

Switzerland incorporates the EU’s latest Belarus sanctions in its Belarus Ordinance

June 3, 2025 By Philippe Reich (Switzerland), Kaspar Projer (Switzerland), Anna Zellweger (Switzerland), Meera Rolaz (Switzerland), Samantha Salsench (Switzerland) and Gian-Marc Perren (Switzerland) 4 Mins Read

On 1 June 2025, the revised Swiss Ordinance on Measures against Belarus (“Belarus Ordinance”) entered into force, thereby implementing the EU’s latest Belarus sanctions. These sanctions had been adopted alongside the EU’s 16th sanctions package against Russia on 24 February 2025, which Switzerland implemented on 15 May 2025 (see blog post here). With this revision of the Belarus Ordinance, Switzerland continues to align its sanctions regime against Belarus with the sanctions against Russia, thereby preventing…

OFAC and Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) Issue Memorandum of Understanding on Enhanced Sanctions Enforcement Cooperation between the United States and Switzerland

May 21, 2025 By Alison J. Stafford Powell (US), Philippe Reich (Switzerland), Eunkyung Kim Shin (US) and Taylor Parker (US) 3 Mins Read

On Friday, May 16, 2025, the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) and Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (“SECO”) issued a joint Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) in regard to the United States and Switzerland’s commitment to collaborate and share information related to sanctions and enforcement which was signed on May 9, 2025. The notice is published on OFAC’s website here. The MOU provides that information sharing between the United States and…

Swiss government concludes implementation of EU’s 16th sanctions package

May 20, 2025 By Philippe Reich (Switzerland), Meera Rolaz (Switzerland), Kaspar Projer (Switzerland), Samantha Salsench (Switzerland) and Anna Zellweger (Switzerland) 8 Mins Read

The EU adopted its 16th package of sanctions against Russia on 24 February 2025, marking the third anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (see blog post here). On 14 May 2025, the Swiss Federal Council decided to conclude the implementation of the measures of the EU’s 16th sanctions package relevant for Switzerland by updating the Ordinance on measures in connection with the situation in Ukraine (“Ordinance”; see press release here), thereby — once again…