Vaidere holds a debate on EU sanctions against Russia in the European Parliament

MEP Inese Vaidere, as the standing rapporteur on Russia for the EP Committee on International Trade (INTA), has just organised a meeting to discuss the latest EU sanctions package against Russia, as well as the effectiveness of the sanctions in place. One of the topics of discussion was the avoidance of sanctions and how to prevent it.

"In my discussion with my EP colleagues and the European Commission, I stressed that while the EU's economic sanctions against Russia are effective and working, they are not as far-reaching as would be needed to leave the Russian war machine without fuel. Moreover, in the next round of sanctions, I hope to see some European countries making concessions and ending their dependence on Russian natural gas," the MEP stressed.

On 24 February, the sixteenth round of sanctions was adopted. It bans imports of Russian aluminium into Europe, as well as exports to Russia of a range of products, including dual-use technologies and materials. More than 150 Russian shadow vessels are now subject to sanctions for illegally transporting oil products and damaging infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.

Inese Vaidere explains that the European Union is currently embargoing just over half of its pre-war trade with Russia. Europe continues to pay for agricultural products, natural gas, coal, petroleum products, iron, steel and fertilisers.

Vaidere has also undertaken work on a regulation on changes in customs duties applicable to certain imported goods originating in or exported directly or indirectly from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. It provides for a significant increase in customs duties on groups of goods such as agricultural products as well as fertilisers. She points out that Russia's low-quality but cheap goods will be profitably replaced by much higher-quality products, thus largely putting an end to the financing of the Russian war machine.