Conference ‘EU Sanctions against Russia: Impact and Implementation Challenges’

On 9^th of June, 2023 the Eureast Platform hosted a one-day conference gathering academics and practitioners to discuss and assess the legal, political, and economic impact of the EU sanctions against Russia, with specific attention to implementation challenges in practice. 

The EU has progressively imposed a wide range of sanctions (restrictive measures) against Russia in response to the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the military aggression against Ukraine in 2022. These include individual measures such as asset freezes and travel restrictions, economic sanctions in relation to the financial, trade, energy, transport, technology and defence sectors and restrictions on the broadcasting activities of Russian state-owned media outlets. The unprecedented scale of sanctions has provoked new challenges of coordination, implementation and judicial review.

Proceeding from a multidisciplinary approach, this conference aimed to discuss and assess the EU sanctions against Russia. Specific attention was devoted to their legal, political and economic impact and challenges of implementation in practice.

• Panels included both academics and practitioners working in the field.
• Amongst others, the following topics were discussed:
• How do Member States ensure the proper implementation of EU sanctions?
• How can the evasion of EU sanctions be avoided?
• What is the impact of EU sanctions for companies dealing with Russian customers?
• How is the alignment of sanctions regimes with non-EU actors organised?
• What are the unintended consequences of the EU sanctions against Russia?

Programme:

Conference programme 

Presentations:

The presentations’ slide for which the authors gave consent to publish them online, are available.

Panel 2: EU sanctions against Russia – implementation challenges – the view of EU, national and regional authorities

• Annika Agemans (Ministry of Finance, Belgium): Presentation “Interpretation and application of the EU regulations on restrictive measures : what is the intention of the legislator?”
• Milan Godin (Legal Advisor, Strategic Goods Control, Department of Foreign Affairs, Flanders): Presentation “EU sanctions against Russia – challenges of circumvention”

Panel 3: EU sanctions against Russia – implementation challenges – a sectoral view

• Heleen over de Linden (Attorney at law, Recht advocatuur Amsterdam / University of Groningen): Presentation “Restrictions to the provision of legal services”
• Luc Arnouts (Vice-President International Relations, Port of Antwerp-Bruges): Presentation “EU sanctions against Russia: Perspective of the Port Antwerp-Bruges”
• Martin Vogt (Senior Specialist Advisor, Deutsche Bank): Presentation “EU Sanctions against Russia: Implementation challenges in the banking sector”

Panel 4: EU sanctions against Russia – stretching the limits of the law?

• Celia Challet (College of Europe / Ghent University): Presentation “Restrictive measures and the scope of judicial review in the EU legal order”
• Prof. em. Dirk Voorhoof (Ghent University): “The EU ban on Russian media outlets and the right to freedom of expression and information”

Partners:

The conference is organized by Ghent University’s Eureast Platform in cooperation with the Ghent European Law Institute and Rolin-Jaequemyns International Law Institute, with support of the ENLIGHT University Network and the Stibbe Law firm which kindly hosted the conference at their venue.