The EU is preparing the 14th package of sanctions, while Russian oligarchs are escaping previous sanctions through the EU court.

As EC Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis reported: “We have started the preparation of the 14th package of sanctions, which should be adopted in the spring. It will probably include a wide list of restrictive measures to combat sanctions evasion as the Russian Federation continues violating the upper limit of oil export prices”.

According to him, the EU is also looking for ways to stop the circumvention of sanctions through Western subsidiaries operating in countries outside the EU. He added that from the EU’s point of view, EU parent companies that retain influence over the business operations of their overseas subsidiaries can be held liable for their actions.

At the same time, Dombrovskis admitted that, for several reasons, the short-term impact of sanctions has been less pronounced than expected.

Meanwhile, the EU court ruled that Russian oligarchs Petro Aven and Mykhailo Fridman (owners of Alfa Group) are to be removed from the list of sanctioned persons established by the EU after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.