EU border states discuss implementation, future development of EU sanctions

TALLINN – On Tuesday, the European Union countries sharing a border with Russia -- Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland -- had their third meeting on sanctions cooperation in Tallinn.

The representatives of the foreign ministries and customs agencies discussed effective implementation of sanctions and prevention of sanctions circumvention.

"The European Union has imposed wide-range of sanctions on an unprecedented scale against Russia. Border states play a central role and burden in the implementation and enforcement of EU sanctions when conducting customs checks to goods entering and exiting via the external borders of the EU. Border states are the external border checkpoint for goods exported from other member states and that are only transiting the border states," spokespeople for the Estonian Foreign Ministry said.

The border states representatives exchanged information on the latest trends at the borders, best practices and biggest challenges. The meeting addressed specific measures to prevent the circumvention of sanctions imposed against Russia and Belarus. Participants discussed the EU’s sanctions policy, including the possibility to impose additional restrictive measures. 

The representatives underlined the importance of continuous and daily co-operation between enforcement authorities. Joint efforts of the border states are crucial to ensure that EU sanctions are implemented effectively and that sanctions violations and circumvention are addressed accordingly.