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Russian cod could be banned from the EU in the latest round of sanctions aimed at pressuring Moscow to end its invasion of Ukraine.
Announcing the proposals, Ursula von der Leyen said she also hoped to stop Russian war veterans from entering EU territory and tighten measures against banks, crypto firms and the Kremlin’s oil revenues.
“Our sanctions keep biting hard and cutting deep. They are weakening the economic foundations of Russia’s war effort,” the European Commission president said in Brussels.
The latest proposals would be the 21st package of EU sanctions against Russia since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and the first to target Russia’s fisheries.
Mrs von der Leyen described fishing as “one of the last major unsanctioned sectors”, adding: “We propose substantial restrictions on imports on some fish products, and a complete ban on others, including cod.”
Last year, EU member states imported fish worth €759m (£655m) from Russia, according to statistics published by the bloc.
Caviar, and other luxury products, were banned early in the war, but Brussels has hesitated to target wider imports of Russian fish.
Russia is said to have once provided 45 per cent of the global supply of whitefish such as cod, haddock and pollock.
Russian fish is a favourite for restaurants and food vendors looking to produce inexpensive dishes, with the Netherlands, France, Poland and Germany the EU’s largest importers.
Brussels also wants to add 30 ships to the list of more than 600 believed to be part of the shadow fleet that Russia uses to sell oil in circumvention of Western sanctions.
The price cap of $44 per barrel on Russian oil will be maintained until at least January, to stop the Kremlin cashing in on rising energy prices caused by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
“We want to maintain the full intensity of our sanctions,” Mrs von der Leyen said.
The bloc hopes to impose a transaction ban on an additional 31 Russian banks, while sanctioning 20 non-Russian banks, crypto firms and oil traders.
One of the most eye-catching policies will ban anyone who has served in the Russian armed forces in Ukraine from entering the EU.
This was proposed in February by Estonia, which warned that Putin would send thousands of former soldiers to Europe to cause chaos in retaliation for support for Kyiv.
“Europe stays off limits for anyone who has participated in the invasion of Ukraine. As simple as that,” said Mrs von der Leyen.
The proposed sanctions require the unanimous backing of the EU’s 27 member states before they can enter into force.
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