The European Sanctions blog by Maya Lester, Brick Court Chambers & Michael O’Kane, Peters & Peters Solicitors LLP
The Council of the European Union held a special meeting on (inter alia) Ukraine yesterday. Its conclusions state that it “stands ready” to take “further significant steps in the light of the evolution of the situation on the ground”. The Council has requested the European Commission urgently to “undertake preparatory work together with the Action Service and present proposals for consideration within a week”, and has asked the Commission to include in its proposal “a provision on the basis of which every person and institution dealing with the separatist groups in the Donbass will be listed.”
The Council stated that the “stage three” sanctions adopted at the end of July (see previous post) “are having a visible impact on the Russia’s economy”. All sanctions relating to Russia are on the “sanctions in force” section of this blog.
The Council also announced that it has appointed Federica Mogherini (currently the Italian foreign minister) as the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union, replacing Catherine Ashton (who has held that position since November 2009).