The EU has recently announced an extension of its sanctions imposed in response to the situation in Ukraine.  EU leaders had previously confirmed that the duration of sanctions affecting Russia would be linked to the implementation of the Minsk Agreements, currently foreseen to be completed by 31 December 2015.  The EU has therefore taken steps to extend the validity of its sanctions against Russia beyond this period; the underlying Council Decisions would otherwise have expired before the Minsk Agreements are expected to be fully implemented.

The briefing provides a summary of the new EU legislation and the revised expiry dates of the various measures.  There have been no substantive changes to the restrictive measures and EU persons should therefore continue to comply with all applicable measures.