EU extends the duration of asset freeze in relation to Ukraine's territorial integrity

On 15 September 2016, the European Council announced that the EU's Russia-related asset freezing measures imposed in relation to Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence (which were previously due to expire on 15 September 2016) will be extended for a further six months until 15 March 2017.  This extension was effected by Council Decision (CFSP) 2016/1671 of 15 September 2016 (the "Decision"), amending Council Decision 2014/145/CFSP. The Decision came into force upon publication in the Official Journal on 16 September 2016.

These sanctions consist of an asset freeze and a travel ban against 146 persons and 37 entities. The list of persons and entities currently subject to these restrictions can be found here.

This extension complements the recent six-month extension of the EU's sectoral sanctions, effected by Council Decision (CFSP) 2016/1071 of 1 July 2016, amending Council Decision 2014/512/CFSP (published in the Official Journal on 2 July 2016). The sectoral sanctions target the Russian financial, energy and defence sectors, and dual-use goods, and are currently due to expire on 31 January 2017. Our recent blog post provides further information on the sectoral sanctions.

For further detail on the EU measures currently in force in response to the crisis in Ukraine, please see an overview here as well as our previous briefings available via our blog.