EU Considers Compromises in 19th Sanctions Package to Satisfy Austria
The EU may make concessions to Austria and partially lift sanctions on assets linked to the Russian oligarch in order to approve the 19th package of EU sanctions.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to European Pravda, citing the Financial Times.
The compromise may involve the targeted lifting of sanctions on assets linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska to compensate Raiffeisen Bank International, which was forced to pay a large fine in Russia.
In particular, the new version of the sanctions provides for the unfreezing of assets worth about €2 billion in the Austrian construction company Strabag, in which Deripaska had a stake.
These assets may be transferred to Raiffeisen as compensation for the fine that the bank paid following a Russian court ruling in favor of a business linked to the oligarch.
The sanctions were initially imposed due to suspicions that Deripaska's business provided material support to the Russian military-industrial sector. Previous attempts by Raiffeisen and Deripaska to exchange assets to unfreeze the oligarch's stake in Strabag failed due to the risk of violating EU sanctions.
Some European officials are concerned that such a compromise could legitimize Russian oligarchs' evasion of sanctions and set a precedent for retaliation through Russian courts.
The final discussion of the new version of the sanctions package is scheduled for October 3.
The Ukrainian President's Representative on Sanctions Policy, Vladyslav Vlasyuk, also responded to Austria's position, noting that a number of European countries are opposed to such a compromise.
“A number of countries are categorically (and fairly) opposed to such a rescue. Therefore, they will block the 19th package with this provision,” he wrote.
Vlasyuk is convinced that this issue will be resolved, albeit with another delay. “The price of unanimity is high,” he concluded.
As The Gaze previously informed, the European Commission has presented its 19th package of sanctions against Russia, covering energy, finance, the shadow fleet, crypto platforms, and companies in Russia and third countries, in order to halt the Kremlin's military economy and make it more difficult to evade sanctions.