BRUSSELS, July 24. /TASS/. Belgium's parliament has registered for further consideration a resolution on lifting of the European Union's sanctions against Russia, author of the draft resolution MP Aldo Carcaci told TASS on Sunday.
The member of the parliament said the draft resolution discussion may be organized after the parliamentary holidays.
The EU economic sanctions against Russia remain in force to January 31, 2017. This autumn, the EU Council will have a wide discussion on further relations between the European Union and Russia, including milder sanctions or lifting them.
Sanctions and import substitution
For incorporation of Crimea after last year’s coup in Ukraine, Russia came under sanctions on the part of the United States and many European countries. The restrictive measures were soon intensified following Western and Ukrainian claims that Russia supported militias in self-proclaimed republics in Ukraine’s southeast and was involved in destabilization of Ukraine.
As countermeasures, Russia imposed on August 6, 2014 a one-year ban on imports of beef, pork, poultry, fish, cheeses, fruit, vegetables and dairy products from Australia, Canada, the European Union, the United States and Norway.
The Russian authorities have repeatedly denied accusations of "annexing" Crimea, because Crimea reunified with Russia voluntarily after a referendum.
A system of import substitution had to be introduced in Russia in connection with imposition of Western sanctions on Russia for developments in Ukraine and Moscow’s countersanctions.