Obtaining Schengen visas is not an insurmountable problem for the Russians even a year and a half after the invasion of Ukraine began. However, they are now at risk of losing their private property, such as a car, when they join the European Union. This follows from the update of the sanctions policy published by the European Commission on Friday. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marija Zakharova called it pure racism.
Brussels/Prague
15:49 September 12, 2023 Share on Facebook
Share on LinkedIn
Copy the url address
Abbreviated address Copy to clipboard
The Berlin government claims that the very entry of the Russian car is illegal (illustrative photo) | Photo: René Volfík | Source: iROZHLAS.cz
Every entry of a passenger car registered in Russia into the countries of the European Union is now to be considered for prohibited import. European customs officials can thus confiscate cars from Russians at the border.
This has already happened to several Russian families on vacation in Germany. They simply had to get out and the police took them to the nearest hotel at most.
The Czech Republic is slow in anti-Russian sanctions, says the ex-diplomat. We do what we can, defends the deputy
Read the article
Germany is a pioneer in such confiscation. The Berlin government claims that the very entry of a Russian car is illegal, nor does it have to be an import for resale.
This approach has now been adopted by the European Commission and is binding for all member states, but it depends on them how they will fulfill the directive. This does not necessarily lead to the confiscation of the Russian car, assured Commission spokesman Daniel Ferrie.
Russia does not like the new procedure. The spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Marija Zakharova, described the ban on the entry of Russian cars into the European Union as pure racism.
Kosmetika i kufry
However, the lawyer of the Moscow company BGP Litigation, Sergej Glandin, assured the Russian public through the Agency that the confiscation of the car does not really have to happen and it depends on the interpretation of each EU state.
Russia wants to exchange frozen assets with the West. But sanctions probably won’t make it possible
Read the article
According to him, there are countries that will not proceed as strictly as Germany or Estonia, and the risk of confiscation of property there is minimal. They are, for example, Malta, Cyprus, Italy or Greece.
The EU directive does not even address what should happen to Russian cars that are already in the Schengen area.
However, the directive may also apply to Russian property other than cars. The 2014 EU list of things prohibited from being imported from Russia into the European Union is quite long.
In addition to chemicals that are mainly used in industry or agriculture, cosmetics of all kinds appear on it, including shampoos, mobile phones, caviar, wood products or all luggage, including suitcases.
Share on Facebook
Share on LinkedIn
Copy the url address
Abbreviated address Copy to clipboard
2023-09-12 13:49:00
#Customs #officers #allowed #confiscate #cars #Russians #travel #states #Kremlin #called #racism
