Effective from 31 January 2015, the EU has expanded the scope of the designated party controls targeting those considered to be responsible for the misappropriation of Ukrainian State funds to include those subject to investigation by the Ukrainian authorities, specifically for (a) “the misappropriation of Ukrainian public funds or assets or being an accomplice” and (b) “abuse of office as a public office-holder in order to procure an unjustified advantage for him- or herself or for…
Following the Extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council meeting convened today in response to the attacks on the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, the EU has announced that it will extend the designated party controls that were adopted in March 2014 until September 2015. During the official press conference that followed the meeting, High Representative Vice-President Mogherini described the situation on the ground as “extremely worrying and negative”. The Council has called on the High Representative and the European…
On 26 January 2015, leaders from all 28 EU countries expressed concern about the “deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine” and condemned the killing of civilians during the “indiscriminate shelling” of Ukrainian city Mariupol on 24 January 2015. The European heads of state called on the EU to “assess the situation” and to consider “further restrictive measures.” Foreign ministers will meet at an emergency meeting on Thursday 29 January to discuss further punitive…
EU relations with Russia were the subject of an “in-depth discussion” during yesterday’s meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council (the “Council”), according to the published ‘Outcome of the Council Meeting’. Commenting on the meeting in her formal remarks, EU High Representative and Vice-President Federica Mogherini described the discussion as “long, very in-depth and useful”, but warned that “starting a strategic debate does not mean and has not meant changing the course of our [EU] relations with…