For established cases of sanctions violations to actually lead to investigations and punishment, EU countries need not only to expand due diligence requirements but also to strengthen the resources of the responsible authorities.
This was stated in a comment to Guildhall by Benjamin Hilgenstock, Head of Macroeconomic Research and Strategy at KSE Institute and a member of the RUSI maritime sanctions task force.
According to him, for “established cases of sanctions violations to lead to real investigations and punishments,” EU countries need to act in several areas at once. This includes, in particular, “expanding due diligence requirements for EU operators,” as well as “considering the allocation of additional resources to the responsible authorities.”
In addition, he considers it necessary to “improve coordination within and between member states” and to create “an enforcement body at the EU level, that is, a kind of European OFAC.” It is precisely such steps, as follows from his assessment, that should help turn identified violations of the sanctions regime into real investigations and punishments.
Earlier, the European Parliament called for greater involvement of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office in cases concerning sanctions against the Russian Federation. Lithuanian MEP Petras Auštrevičius stated that such a step is legitimate and justified, since sanctions fall under EU-level legislation and their enforcement should not remain without legal consequences.
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