EU Sanctions

Sanctions

Restrictive measures imposed by the EU against specific countries, entities, and individuals.

Sources

1. European External Action Service — European Union sanctions (page dated 18 August 2026) eeas.europa.eu accessed 23 September 2026

The EEAS describes sanctions as “a tool under the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) to uphold international law, prevent international crises, support conflict resolution, fight terrorism and tackle the proliferation of weapons”. Two sources feed the regime: UN Security Council sanctions, which “are automatically transposed into EU law”, sometimes with additional EU measures on top; and autonomous EU sanctions adopted on the EU’s own initiative. In form, “most sanctions adopted by the EU are targeted at individuals and entities, and consist of assets freezes, travel bans and the prohibition to make funds and economic resources available to listed entities or individuals” — a freeze reaching cash, deposits, stocks and shares, and real estate that may not be sold or rented. Listing is challengeable: a listed person is informed, may make representations to the Council and request de-listing, and may contest the listing before the European courts. As of the page consulted, twenty-one packages had been adopted in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

Where this sits. This entry is sourced to the European institution that runs the thing described, which is the right authority for what it is and how it works — and the wrong one for whether it works well. Official pages state purposes and publish their own figures. Read them for mechanism, scope and legal basis; look elsewhere for evaluation.

Related terms

• AML Compliance
• Denied Party Screening
• Dual Use Goods
• End User Certificate
• FATF
• OFAC

From the AJG lexicon archive (July 2026).