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EU to decide on personal sanctions in connection with presidential election in Crimea

The EU has several packages of economic sectoral sanctions against Russia in effect now, the blacklists of individuals and legal entities, as well as packages of sanctions against Crimea

BRUSSELS, May 8. /TASS/. The Committee of Permanent Representatives in the European Union [COREPER] has considered a possibility of placing more Crimean officials on the blacklist of individuals subject to sanctions in connection with organizing the election of President of the Russian Federation on March 18, 2018, in Crimea, a diplomatic source in Brussels told TASS.

COREPER is likely to announce the sanctions against the officials on May 14, he said.

"The committee discussed a possibility of placing more individuals on the sanctions list in the wake of actions that undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty," the source said. "It may take a formal decision on May 14."

Read also

How Russians in Europe voted in 2018 presidential election

Another European source told TASS earlier the EU would "expand the blacklist for Russia somewhat" in connection with organizing the election of the Russian President in Crimea. The EU is considering the inclusion in it "of several individuals who were directly involved in holding the election."

The EU has several packages of economic sectoral sanctions against Russia in effect now, the blacklists of individuals and legal entities, as well as packages of sanctions against Crimea.

The packages were endorsed in the framework of the EU’s official strategy line at non-recognition of Crimea’s reunification with Russia.

The EU Foreign Ministers introduced initial sectoral measures on July 31, 2014, and they concerned the financial, energy and defense sectors, as well as dual technologies. The EU prolongs them every six months. At present, they hold effect through to July 2018.

Precisely targeted individual restrictive measures, which include travel bans and the freezing of bank assets in Europe [should any of them be tracked down] have embraced 150 individuals and 38 organizations to date.

The legal entities on the list are mostly non-Russian. The government agencies and defense organizations of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk republics make up the bulk of them.

This package is currently effective through to September 15, 2018.

The third package consists of ‘surgical’ sanctions against Crimea. The EU prohibits any communications with the Republic of Crimes for the European companies. This package stands in effect through to June 2018 and the EU prolongs it every twelve months.

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