Source: European Parliament
From the outset, the sanctions have been designed and implemented to impose a heavy price on Russia and Belarus, whilst minimising adverse effects on the EU, its citizens and businesses.
When developing sanctions packages, the Commission carefully considers their impact on EU operators and on individual Member States. Consultations with Member States and industry are aimed at preventing adverse impacts.
Against the backdrop of Russia’s war of aggression, Ukraine has benefited from various EU support measures. The Autonomous Measures adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in June 2022 and renewed twice until June 2025 have provided duty and quota-free access for Ukrainian agricultural products to the EU market.
The Commission has been monitoring the impact of these measures closely (monitoring reports are shared with the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade) and has not found any adverse impact of liberalisation on the EU market.
Concerning the possible establishment of a mechanism to mitigate the impact of sanctions, the Commission would like to recall that the adoption of sanctions takes into account impacts on the EU’s economy and operators and systematically requires the unanimous approval by the Member States.