BRUSSELS, December 15. /TASS/. The number of EU countries opposing the European Commission's plan to expropriate Russian assets under the guise of a so-called reparation loan for Ukraine has grown to seven, and any attempt to push through this decision will cause a serious rift in the EU, the Brussels-based Euractiv news outlet reported.
According to it, Belgium, Hungary, and Slovakia initially opposed the plan, and they have now been joined by Italy, Bulgaria, Malta, and the Czech Republic. Euractiv noted that the latter four countries oppose the plan due to their governments' support of US President Donald Trump's administration, which believes that expropriating Russian assets could hinder the prospects of a swift settlement in Ukraine.
The news outlet noted that European Council President Antonio Costa will have to decide whether to abandon the plan or continue to promote it on Thursday at the EU leaders' summit in Brussels, emphasizing that both options would cause serious political damage to the EU and threaten it with political division.
Earlier, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas acknowledged that approval of the so-called reparation loan was becoming increasingly complicated upon her arrival at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. She confirmed that, although the European Commission intends to make a decision on the expropriation of assets by a qualified majority, doing so without Belgium's support will be difficult since Brussels holds most of Russia's blocked assets.
A qualified majority in the EU Council requires the support of 60% of EU member states (at least 16 countries) representing at least 55% of the EU population. Thus, even if all seven EU countries vote together, they will not be able to formally block this decision.
Forever frozen
Of the 210 billion euros of Russian assets frozen in the EU, 185 billion euros are blocked on the Euroclear platform in Belgium.
On Friday, the EU Council voted to indefinitely freeze Russian assets, a measure that Belgium supported but noted it still does not support expropriation. Previously, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever called the expropriation of assets "theft." He believes that Russia's assets should remain frozen in Belgium indefinitely, generating income to finance Ukraine.
In 2023, De Wever's predecessor, former Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, revealed that Belgium levies a 30% tax on income from the reinvestment of Russian assets. However, the Belgian government has since chosen not to make this information public.
Russia's response
Russian President Vladimir Putin previously noted that the confiscation of Russian assets being discussed in Europe would be an act of theft. In turn, Russian Justice Minister Konstantin Chuychenko told TASS that the country's leadership has already been presented with options for responding to the potential seizure of Russian assets by Western countries. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov emphasized that Moscow would not leave such actions unanswered.