ETV+ talk show "Epicenter" to examine inconsistencies in EU sanctions on Russia
On 21 October, the talk show "Epicenter" on Estonian public broadcaster ETV+ will discuss why EU sanctions against Russia often seem inconsistent. Examples include exemptions sought by Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and the removal of certain oligarchs from the sanctions list.
The discussion programme "Epicenter" ("Epitsentr") will air on ETV+, a channel of Estonia's public broadcaster, on Wednesday, 21 October. The panel will ask why European Union sanctions against Russia sometimes create an impression of inconsistency and double standards.
Who will take part
The guests are Jana Toom, a member of the European Parliament; Evgen Tsybulenko, professor of international law; Anastassia Tido, a journalist at the newspaper Postimees; and Dmitri Kuravkin, a specialist in financial regulation. The host is Andrei Titov.
Examples cited
The programme's organisers point to several cases. Estonia, one of the most active advocates of tough sanctions on Russia, asked that the Solikamsk magnesium plant not be added to the list, because it supplies unique raw material to the Silmet plant in Estonia.
Earlier, the EU removed Russian oligarchs Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman from its sanctions. France and Luxembourg had pushed for this, citing their own diplomatic and legal circumstances. At the same time, sanctions against 3,000 Russian individuals and entities were extended at once for three years.
Latvia is increasing transit of Russian grain, since it is being shipped for buyers in the United States and Japan, and a ban could bring lawsuits and heavy financial losses. Lithuania, for its part, is already taking part in international arbitration over a claim by a Belarusian fertiliser producer, which is demanding multibillion-dollar compensation after transit through Klaipeda was banned on national security grounds.
Key questions
The participants will consider whether sanctions policy can be called effective if general principles are set aside for national interests. They will also ask whether the EU can stay united in pressuring Russia when the cost of that pressure differs from country to country.
"Epicenter" airs on ETV+ on Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m.
