The Lithuanian Ministry of Transport has proposed a law that would allow sanctions to be imposed on goods imported, purchased or in transit directly or indirectly from Belarus.
This would allow the country to prevent any transit through Lithuania of the products of Belarusian potassium fertilizer manufacturer Belarus, which is subject to US sanctions.
The Ministry of Transport has developed a corresponding draft law. Its purpose, according to the Ministry, is to guarantee the security interests of the Lithuanian state and society in the conditions of the hybrid aggression carried out by Belarus.
The cover letter of the bill states that each member state of the European Union is primarily responsible for its own national security, so it has the right to decide on ways to guarantee it.
“Agreements concluded in Lithuania before imposing sanctions must be terminated unilaterally or by mutual agreement, or their execution must be suspended for the duration of the sanctions. It is prohibited to execute agreements in Lithuania that are in conflict with sanctions,” the document reads.
If the law is passed, the Lithuanian government will be able to determine the duration, termination or extension of sanctions and exceptions, as well as the actions of state private and legal persons in relation to sanctions.
The implementation of the draft law could cause losses to companies, the Ministry of Transport acknowledges, proposing a transitional period to mitigate the risks.
It has already been reported that the transit of cargo to Belarus through Belarus was not stopped when the US sanctions came into force on December 8. It turned out that the Belarusian state-owned company had made an advance payment to the Lithuanian state railway company Lietuvos Geležinkeliai in November and that this amount was sufficient for it to continue transporting cargo to Belarusjkali in December, January and February. According to Mants Bartuška, the head of Lietuvos Geležinkeliai, the company could be fined hundreds of millions of euros for breaking the contract.
The Lithuanian government has said it is looking for ways for the state railway company to terminate the contract for the transportation of “Belarus”, while stressing that US sanctions do not directly prohibit the flow of fertilizer in transit through Lithuania.
Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gabriel Landsberg and Minister of Transport Marjus Skuodis have resigned, taking responsibility for the fact that the transit of cargo to Belarus through Lithuania has not been interrupted.
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