On December 2, a joint committee hearing on “Application,
implementation and monitoring of special economic and other restrictive
measures (sanctions)” was held. The hearing was initiated by the
Committee on Foreign Policy and Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation. The
representatives of the Committee on Ukraine's Integration into the EU,
the Committee on National Security, Defense and Intelligence, as well
as experts, civil society representatives and journalists participated
in the event.
Participants discussed the possibility of creating a special state body
that will ensure the formation of state policy in the field of
sanctions; creation and maintenance of the Unified state sanctions
register; expanding the range of initiators of sanctions; expanding the
list of grounds and principles for the application of sanctions, as
well as types of sanctions.
“Russia has learned to live with the sanctions that were imposed on it
and that were painful at first. Through its partners and satellites, by
selling and importing certain products that are subject to sanctions,
Russia has learned to circumvent these sanctions”, — Ivanna
Klympush-Tsintsadze, Chair of the Committee on Ukraine's Integration
into the EU said. She added that Ukraine should demand from the Western
partners that sanctions against Russia should be strengthened. The
compliance with them should be strictly controlled so that Russia
cannot circumvent these restrictions. “We must continue to work to
strengthen sanctions in the energy sector, which are the most painful
for Russia. This also applies to Nord Stream-2 and technologies for oil
or gas production. We must also insist on the imposition of personal
sanctions not only against the offenders themselves, but also against
members of their families. This will be a much more serious and painful
mechanism for Russia, and it could have a serious effect. Ukraine also
needs to expand its own range of responses to Russia's violations of
various components of international coexistence”, — Ivanna
Klympush-Tsintsadze added.
Valentyn Nalyvaichenko noted that Ukraine should act adequately and in
accordance with the practice of the European Union on the issue of
sanctions against the aggressor country. «Sanctions should be personal,
sectoral (economic) and diplomatic. Ukrainian legislation should ensure
the implementation and application of such sanctions by all
authorities”, — Valentyn Nalyvaichenko said. He noted that sanctions
were a financial weapon against the aggressor and the greatest damage
the enemy suffered is from economic sanctions — both sectoral and
personal. Valentyn Nalyvaichenko also mentioned the EU sanctions
against former high-ranking Ukrainian officials, which were introduced
in 2014. “In six years, only 10 of 22 people remain in this sanctions
list. And the second important question is when, finally, will the
assets of at least these mentioned high-ranking officials be
confiscated and returned to the budget of Ukraine?”, —Nalyvaichenko
added.
The participants also discussed the importance of compliance with
sanctions in Ukraine, as well as monitoring and control mechanisms for
this compliance. Valentyn Nalyvaichenko informed that he was preparing
a draft law that would define national sanctions, international
sanctions and single state register of sanctions, as well as a clear
and effective mechanism for monitoring compliance with sanctions. In
Ukraine, according to Nalyvaichenko, there are examples of how even
state-owned companies circumvent sanctions. For example, the state
energy company “Energoatom” still buys equipment from Russia through
Estonia and Germany. “Sanctions, in fact, do not work and it causes
both economic and political damage to Ukraine and Ukrainian state-owned
enterprises”, — Valentin Nalyvaichenko summed up.
In Ukraine for the last 6 years no case for violation of sanctions was
initiated and no fine was imposed. The participants of the hearings
unanimously agreed on the need to create a single register of
sanctions, a mechanism for monitoring compliance with them, as well as
the creation of a legal framework for regulating sanctions policy. “In
Ukraine, there is still no systemic sanctions policy, even against
Russia”, — professor Volodymyr Vasylenko stressed. He considers it
urgent to create a framework law that will form the basis of such a
policy.
As a result of the hearings, recommendations will be developed that
will determine the direction of further work of the Parliament, the
Government, experts and civil society in the process of creating a new
sanctions policy of Ukraine.