EU failure to vote new Russian sanctions a blow to Merkel

The EU Council’s refusal to support new sanctions against Russia over Syria, is a blow to Angela Merkel.

The biggest blow however has been opposition to the demand for more sanctions coming from Spain. The Spanish co-sponsored the French Resolution the Russians recently vetoed in the UN Security Council. Merkel and Hollande had counted on their support.

Reports of the EU Council speak of a tense meeting, with EU officials saying before the meeting that “a third of the EU’s states” were opposed to more sanctions being imposed on Russia, The Guardian noted.

Sharper EU divisions about the Syrian conflict and relations with Russia, have surfaced after threats from Britain, France and Germany of sanctions came to naught. The push by the three major EU powers to address the Syrian conflict, lacked unanimous support of leaders at Brussels summit.

The EU’s three biggest countries had wanted to isolate Russia in warning that individuals and organisations to the conflict in Aleppo could face asset freezes and travel bans if the violence continues.

Despite vocal support too from Theresa May, the plan failed to win the necessary unanimity to pass.

The sanctions that were under discussion would not have been sanctions targeting whole sectors of the Russian economy, such as those which the EU imposed during the height of the Ukrainian conflict in July 2014, but sanctions that targeted specific Russian individuals and agencies involved in the fighting in Syria.

The Guardian made reference to “unofficial reports” highlighting just 12 Russian individuals and agencies that might have been targeted in this way. There had also been talk that as many as 20 Syrian officials or agencies might be targeted.

Even before the EU Council meeting, the proposal was watered down from a decision to impose sanctions on these 12 Russian individuals and agencies to a mere threat to do so, while the final communique which was published makes no mention of sanctions at all, whether against Russian officials or agencies, or even against Syrian officials and agencies.

The statement read: “The EU… is considering all available options, should the current atrocities continue.”

Going into the meetings, a sterner warning was expected. Draft summit conclusions, seen by Reuters, read: “The European Council strongly condemns the attacks by the Syrian regime and its allies, notably Russia, on civilians in Aleppo.

“Those responsible for breaches of international humanitarian law and human rights law must be held accountable. The EU is considering all options, including further restrictive measures targeting individuals and entities supporting the regime, should the current atrocities continue.”

In reality, according to insiders in Brussels, it seems that the opposition came not from “a third of the EU’s states” but from a majority of them led by Italy, Spain and Austria.

Even Germany is split as German Foreign Minister Steinmeier has opposed sanctions.

Public opinion across much of Europe strongly supports what Russia is doing in Syria, despite the media campaign against it.

Merkel’s standing in the European Council on the issue of relations with Russia has thus been challenged successfully and her authority has been eroded by the clear lack of support.