The European Court of Auditors (ECA) published a report indicating that the trade sanctions imposed on Russia are not being applied uniformly by the member states of the European Union (EU). The ECA advocates for the establishment of common rules and ensuring consistency at external borders.
In the document, the ECA observed that different national practices in monitoring compliance with EU trade sanctions create opportunities for third parties to seek the most favorable jurisdiction. This disparity weakens the various sanction packages approved to punish Moscow for the invasion of Ukraine, which occurred in February 2022.
One of the problems highlighted by the ECA auditors is the lack of standardization in terminology used. Several inconsistencies were detected between the sanctions regulations and the Customs Code, specifically regarding the concepts of 'country of origin' and the term 'transfer'.
The Court suggests that the European Commission conduct a detailed analysis to verify whether member states are applying EU trade sanctions and supervising their compliance homogeneously. Furthermore, the ECA emphasizes the importance of information exchange among the 27 members of the bloc, requiring customs to have access to central data exchange systems relevant to the application of these sanctions.
Brussels also needs to improve the monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of trade sanctions, ensuring that data collection, analysis, and compliance monitoring processes are more complete and integrated. It is also necessary to propose clear criteria to measure the effectiveness of the sanctions and carry out periodic evaluations based on these guidelines.
Trade sanctions function as an instrument of foreign policy, primarily implemented through the EU Customs Union, under the supervision of national authorities at external borders. More than four years after the start of the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, ECA auditors warn that these flaws prevent the EU from acting cohesively and create loopholes for circumventing sanctions.
In October, the EU implemented its largest expansion of sanctions against Russia. The 22nd sanctions package directly targets about 1,600 people and entities linked to the Russian military-industrial complex, with a special focus on the ballistic missile production chain. Ukraine has been receiving financial and military support from Western allies since the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.



