18.08.2014
Joint statement by Mr Bernd Lange, Chair of the Committee on International Trade (INTA) and Mr Elmar Brok Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), European Parliament, Concerning the EU/Russia sanctions, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia
- We welcome the decision of the Council of the EU of 29 July adopting restrictive economic measures in view of the situation in Eastern Ukraine and the illegal annexation of Crimea, which inter alia target Russian state-owned banks, impose an arms embargo and restrict sales of sensitive technology and the export of equipment for the Russia’s oil industry. Russia must finally stop any support of materials and personnel to the separatists in Eastern Ukraine.
- We fully endorse the trade and investment restrictions for Crimea and Sevastopol complementing the ban on imports of goods not certified by the Ukrainian authorities from those territories. Furthermore, Russia must not be allowed to use „humanitarian aid packages“ for other purposes and Russia must hand them over to the Ukrainian authorities and the Red Cross.
- With respect to the politically motivated sanctions imposed by Russia on 6 August and targeting imports of certain agricultural products, raw materials and food originating from the European Union and its allies we express our deep concerns about the impact of these sanctions on the EU agricultural and industrial producers, the employment and economic growth within the EU – we therefore call on the Commission to propose without delay effective and targeted measures to significantly limit such negative consequences.
- We strongly condemn the arbitrary trade restrictions regularly imposed by Russia on imports of goods from Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia not just now but at least since two years, which is contrary to Russia’s engagements as a WTO member; we call on the EU to do its utmost to support Ukrainian, Moldovan and Georgian exporters, when necessary.
- With respect to the Association Agreements between the EU and, respectively, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia, we engage ourselves to facilitate a speedy consent procedure within the European Parliament and we call on the Member States to ratify those agreements without delay. In this connection we call on the Commission to effectively assist Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia with the provisional application of the Association Agreements by all means available.
- We call on our trading partners from all around the world to refrain from trade arrangements with Russia that would undermine the impact of the EU economic sanctions and would lead to the replacement of the EU products on the Russian market; we call on the EU to engage in the necessary diplomatic activity in this regard.
- We understand that under the current difficult conditions the Ukrainian government cannot guarantee full and timely fulfilment of its obligations under the Association Agreement, namely in terms of legal and regulatory approximation; we emphasise however, as a matter of principle, that the EU assistance to our partner countries must be, in all cases, subject to the genuine engagement by their governments in terms of transparency, legality, accountability and respect for the founding principles of the European Union.
Kontakt: elmar.brok@ep.europa.eu