The 15th package of anti-Russian sanctions could not be adopted due to the intervention of the leadership of Latvia and Lithuania.
Politicians were outraged by the existence of “loopholes” that allowed individual European producers to continue their work in Russia.
Lithuania and Latvia prevented the adoption of the 15th package of anti-Russian sanctions due to the exclusive opportunity provided to European companies, RBC reports.
We are talking about organizations that were unable to curtail their activities on the territory of the Russian Federation after February 2022.
They were given the right to gradually cease operations on the Russian market without stopping imports and exports.
This clause was developed in December 2022 to facilitate the exit from the Russian market for companies that could not do so immediately for a number of reasons.
Since then, EU members have had to extend the loophole three times.
But this time, critics said businesses had plenty of time to leave Russia.
It is specified that Germany and France were the first to speak out in favor of extending the controversial clause, and other EU members along with them.
In the meantime, it is known that the European Commission has promised Lithuania and Latvia that their demands will be taken into account in the new, 16th sanctions package.
