Resolution on the conclusions of the European Council meeting of 24-25 March 2022, including the latest developments of the war against Ukraine and the EU sanctions against Russia and their implementation
The European Parliament adopted by 513 votes to 22, with 19 abstentions, a resolution on the conclusions of the European Council meeting of 24-25 March 2022, including the latest developments of the war against Ukraine and the EU sanctions against Russia and their implementation.
The text adopted in plenary was tabled by the EPP, S&D, Renew, Greens/EFA, ECR and the Left groups.
The resolution stressed that thousands of Ukrainian civilians have lost their lives or have been wounded in the Russian aggression and invasion since 24 February 2022, while nearly 6.5 million Ukrainian citizens have been internally displaced and more than 4 million have fled to neighbouring countries, adding to the more than 14 000 people, both military personnel and civilians, who lost their lives in the previous eight years as a result of the occupation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and the conflict it generated in eastern Ukraine.
Energy sanctions
Sanctions are having an effect but EU purchases of fossil fuels from Russia still provide means to the regime that help finance the war. As a reminder, the EU is paying up to EUR 800 million per day to Russia for the delivery of fossil fuels, which per year adds up to almost EUR 300 billion. Academic studies show that the banning of fossil fuel imports from Russia would have an impact on EU economic growth that would correspond to estimated losses of less than 3 % of GDP, while the potential losses to the Russian economy over the same period would amount to 30 % of GDP and would be instrumental in stopping the Russian aggression.
The resolution emphasised the need for common strategic energy reserves and energy purchasing mechanisms to be established at EU level with the aim of increasing energy security while reducing external energy dependency and price volatility. It called for work to be started on creating a gas union, based on common purchases of gas by Member States and for Member States to terminate collaboration with Russian companies on existing and new nuclear projects, including in Finland, Hungary and Bulgaria, where Russian experts can be replaced by Western ones, and to end scientific cooperation with Russian energy companies, such as Rosatom.
Economic and military sanctions
Almost 500 international companies and corporations have chosen to suspend their operations in Russia or completely withdraw from the Russian market. However, some companies continue to conduct business-as-usual in Russia, putting profits from operations in the Russian market before security and social responsibility, thereby weakening the effects of sanctions and undermining condemnation of the Russian Federation by the international community.
Parliament demands that Russia immediately terminate all military activities in Ukraine and unconditionally withdraw all forces and military equipment from the entire internationally recognised territory of Ukraine.
The resolution underlined that deliveries of weapons must continue and be stepped up to allow Ukraine to effectively defend itself. Parliament welcomed the decision to increase assistance to Ukraine through the European Peace Facility (EPF) by another EUR 500 million.
Special UN tribunal
Stressing that perpetrators of war crimes and other serious rights violations must be held accountable, Parliament called for a special UN tribunal for the crimes in Ukraine to be set up and for the EU Member States to strengthen their capacity to effectively combat impunity for those who have committed or participated in war crimes.
Exclude Russia from G20 and other multilateral organisations
EU leaders and the leaders of other states are called on to exclude Russia from the G20 and other multilateral cooperative organisations, such as the UN Human Rights Council, Interpol, the World Trade Organization, UNESCO and others, which would be an important sign that the international community will not return to business as usual with the aggressor state.
The resolution welcomed the swift adoption of sanctions by the Council and commended the unity of the EU institutions and Member States in response to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, as well as the high level of coordination among the G7. It called on all partners, in particular EU candidate countries and potential candidate countries, to align with the sanctions packages.
Further sanctions
Moreover, Parliament called for:
- private businesses to withdraw their investments, relocate production sites from Russia and cut running contracts;
- banks from the Russian Federation from the SWIFT system to be excluded;
- the prohibition of road freight from and to the territory of Russia and Belarus;
- the introduction of secondary sanctions on all entities registered in the EU and non-EU countries that are aiding the Russian and Belarussian regimes in circumventing sanctions;
- an immediate full embargo on Russian imports of oil, coal, nuclear fuel, and gas and for Nordstream 1 and 2 to be completely abandoned.
Parliament also called for work to start on a Marshall Plan-like fund (the Ukraine Solidarity Trust Fund) to rebuild Ukraine after the war, launch a massive investment programme and unleash the country’s growth potential.
Lastly, the scope of the individual sanctions lists should be extended to current and past beneficiaries of close connections with the Russian and Belarusian Governments according to Parliament.