Members of the European Parliament approved rules to combat evasion and violation of EU sanctions

The European Parliament on Tuesday approved rules to punish violations and evasion of European Union sanctions, including restrictive measures aimed at Moscow, with only a green light from member states needed for the directive to come into force.

With 543 votes in favor, 45 votes against and 27 abstentions, members of the European Parliament approved the directive, already agreed with the Council of the European Union (EU), which introduces minimum rules for the definition of criminal offenses and minimum sanctions applicable to the violation of restrictive measures imposed by the public bloc.

The new law defines offenses including failure to freeze funds, failure to comply with travel bans or arms embargoes, transferring funds to sanctioned persons or doing business with government entities from sanctioned countries, and provides penalties for violations and evasion from sanctions. The sanctions are deterrent in nature and result in a maximum of five years’ imprisonment.

Providing financial services or legal advice in violation of sanctions will also become a punishable offence.

The law must now be formally approved by the 27 member states of the European bloc in the Council of the EU and will come into force 20 days after its publication in the Official Journal of the EU.

EU countries will then have one year to transpose it into national legislation.

This new directive covers, for example, the restrictive measures that the European bloc imposed on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022.

Kyiv’s allies have introduced successive rounds of sanctions against key sectors of the Russian economy in an attempt to reduce Moscow’s ability to finance military action in Ukraine.