Germany seems to have become the “new Hungary” in the matter of anti-Russian sanctions, the next package that is currently being discussed by the authorities of the European Union countries. TASS reported this on Thursday, June 13, citing sources from among EU diplomats.
Informants said that new restrictions against the Russian Federation were planned to be introduced just in time for today: the Group of Seven (G7) summit started today in Brindisi, Italy. However, negotiations on sanctions were blocked by Berlin.
The agency’s interlocutors explain that Germany is not satisfied with some restrictions regarding circumvention of EU sanctions. We are talking, in particular, about introducing liability for company branches in case of sanctions violations.
Berlin proposes to cancel this measure or limit it to certain categories of goods. This position is dictated by fears that German firms may be held liable for violations. In addition, Germany considers some reporting requirements unnecessary and is trying to ease restrictions on the use of the Financial Message Transmission System (SPFS – the Russian analog of the international payment system SWIFT).
