European leaders are set to discuss in June the extension of the sanction reapproval period against Russia from six months to a year. The move is now possible, after Viktor Orbán lost last month’s elections in Hungary – he was the one who systematically blocked any such extension and used the renewal process as a political lever, writes Politico.
The prospect of extending the reapproval cycle was discussed last week in closed-door meetings, in preparation for the mid-June European summit, according to five diplomats and European officials familiar with the discussions, who spoke on condition of anonymity, given the political implications of the subject.
The transition from a renewal every six months to an annual one would strengthen the political and legal credibility of the sanctions regime imposed on Russia by the EU in response to the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Why does unanimity matter
European sanctions must be approved unanimously by all member states. This means that a single veto can nullify the 20 sets of measures adopted so far, designed to strike at Russia’s war economy and put pressure on the Kremlin’s supporters.
Over the past four years, diplomats in charge of negotiating sanctions have had to manage this risk every six months, knowing that a failure would have disastrous consequences – both politically and on the eastern Ukrainian front.
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