EU to launch project to find loopholes in Russia sanctions

The European Union intends to launch a project aimed at strengthening the monitoring of compliance with the sanctions against Russia. On this subject informed Bloomberg, citing EU officials.
According to the agency, the project will start operating approximately from June 2023 and will operate for about two years. According to the publication’s sources, a “large group” of EU countries have shown interest in the initiative, but only nine states will actively participate: the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Hungary, Lithuania , Malta, Romania, Slovenia. and Spain.
The project aims to identify gaps and inconsistencies in the sanctions regime and improve coordination between national authorities, writes Bloomberg. According to the publication’s interlocutors, the initiative could be a harbinger of the creation of a new EU body to monitor compliance with sanctions.
Since the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, the EU has imposed ten sanctions packages against Russia. They reached more than 200 legal entities and 1,400 people – politicians, military, businessmen, journalists and other Russians. The restrictions apply to, among others, the Central Bank, major Russian banks, transactions with the military-industrial complex, the import and export of various goods and the issuance of visas to Russians.
March 23 European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announcement that in the 11th package of sanctions against Russia, the EU will pay particular attention to the fight against the circumvention of the restrictions already imposed. She did not give a date for the imposition of new sanctions.
According to The Telegraph, the EU could impose sanctions on countries that help Russia circumvent sanctions restrictions. In particular, we are talking about the states of Central Asia, the publication emphasizes.