04/06/2024 Political Affairs and Democracy
Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the international community has imposed sanctions to counter this aggression and hold Russia accountable for its violations of international law. PACE’s Political Affairs and Democracy Committee condemned Russia’s actions and outlined measures “to enhance the effectiveness of the sanction system”.
Adopting a draft resolution based on a report by Yelyzaveta Yasko (Ukraine, EPP), the committee emphasised that “the imposition of sanctions contributes to the efforts to restore justice, bring suffering to an end, and deter the aggressor State Russia from any temptation to further broaden its military threat in Europe”.
The committee nevertheless raised concern that “the effectiveness of the sanction system is weakened by gaps and loopholes”, which are exploited by the Russian authorities and individuals to circumvent the restrictions. The parliamentarians highlighted that sanctions are sometimes circumvented through third countries and Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’.
To counter this, the committee recommended measures such as listing and banning shadow fleet vessels, enhancing export controls, and holding parent companies accountable for subsidiaries' actions.
The committee called for more countries to join the coalition of those imposing sanctions and emphasised the need to improve tracking systems to prevent circumvention, harmonise national legislations, establish corporate responsibility codes, and reinforce the capacities of national authorities responsible for the enforcement of sanctions.
The parliamentarians also supported using frozen Russian assets to aid Ukraine’s recovery and military defence, urging the exploration of legal options to confiscate these assets and commit them to reconstruction efforts. The committee stressed that sanctions should also target Russia’s allies, such as Belarus, Iran, and North Korea.