The Crimean authorities believe that the European Union’s (EU) new restrictions slapped on companies involved in the construction of the Crimean Bridge and roads, are doomed to fail, Deputy Prime Minister of the peninsula’s government Dmitry Polonsky told TASS when commenting on the EU’s decision to expand the sanctions list.
“I think this is the same ‘shot off the mark’ as all previous decisions to add any companies or legal and physical entities to the sanctions lists. The thing is that all companies that found themselves in the latest version of the list are successfully operating not only on Crimea’s soil, but also on Russian territory, and they have demonstrated their success more than once. I think … that in this particular case any attempts to hinder normal business operations are doomed to fail,” he said.
According to Polonsky, the companies under sanctions are successfully operating on the region’s territory, with “projects that are actively, in due time and very adeptly constructed.” “As we can see, the sanctions list has absolutely no impact whatsoever on the work of those enterprises. Companies have worked and will work successfully (in Crimea) and will continue to go on doing their business competently,” he emphasized.
As reported earlier the European Union expanded the sanctions list related to reunification of Crimea with Russia and the construction of the bridge across the Kerch Strait.
According to the EU Official Journal, sanctions were slapped on six more companies: Institute Giprostroimost, Mostotrest, VAD, Stroigazmontazh, Stroigazmontazh-Most and Zaliv Shipyard.
The restrictive measures come into force starting from July 31. They will include freezing assets on the territory of the European Union. Furthermore, EU-registered individuals and entities cannot provide money to companies exposed to sanctions.
Currently, there are several sanction packages imposed by the European Union against Moscow, which include economic sanctions, individual restrictions and Crimea-related sanctions. The latest package is a set of targeted restrictions against Crimea, which European businesses are banned from having any ties with.
The measures adopted as part of the so-called EU Strategy on the non-recognition of Crimea’s reunification with Russia, will expire on January 31, 2019 and can be potentially extended. According to the EU Council’s data, right now these restrictions are valid against 155 individuals and 44 organizations.