EU extends sanctions on Russian-controlled Crimea by one year

The European Union has agreed to extend its investment ban and other economic sanctions on Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula, which was forcibly annexed by Russia in 2014.

The EU sanctions package against Crimea includes a ban on the import of goods originating in Crimea unless they have Ukrainian certificates; a ban on exports to the peninsula related to transport, telecommunications, and the energy sectors – including the exploration of oil, gas, and mineral resources.

EU companies are also prohibited from investing in Crimea or to finance Crimean companies.

Furthermore, cruise ships that are owned or controlled by a European company or flying the flag of an EU member state may not dock at Crimean ports, including Sevastopol, a naval port city that Russia considers a separate administrative district.

The ban was first imposed when Russia illegally annexed the Ukrainian peninsula two years ago and it has been prolonged every year by the 28 EU member states.

EU ambassadors are expected to discuss a broader list of economic sanctions it has on Russia on 21 June, with a view to extending them by six months ahead of the EU summit on June 28-29.