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EU seeks to sanction ex-chancellor and former FM – media — Analysis

MEPs demande that European politicians with connections to Russian companies, like former German Chancellor Schroeder, resign.

European politicians still holding ties to Russian businesses, such as Germany’s former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Austria’s ex-Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl, should be added to the EU sanctions list, a broad coalition within the European Parliament demands, the German Die Welt daily reported on Wednesday, citing a draft resolution it obtained. The document states that any ex-top European official refusing to cut ties to Russian business or continuing to receive funds from Russia must be removed.

The coalition of MEPs that includes the conservative European People’s Party (EPP), the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D), as well as the Liberal group Renew Europe and the Greens, has called on the EU Council to “extend”EU personal sanctions “to include European board members of large Russian companies and politicians, who continue to receive Russian funding.”The blacklist so far has not included Russian officials. “oligarchs”The EU considers the Kremlin to be within its reach.

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On Thursday, the EU parliament will discuss the draft resolution. “a real signal from Europe. Former chancellors must continue to consider the well-being of their state after their time,”Stefan Berger is a German MEP who belongs to the EPP and spoke out for Die Welt.
These were the four alliances that agreed to adopt the draft. “lengthy debates,”Die Welt. The combined 70% represents the majority of MEPs. This means that Thursday’s draft resolution will likely be approved.

Initially, only Schroeder’s name was put in the draft, Die Welt reported. The former German chancellor is the head of Russian oil giant Rosneft’s supervisory board. He refused to resign after Russia launched its military operations in Ukraine. Former European officials were forced to leave positions at Russian companies.

The S&D group, which includes Schroeder’s Social Democratic Party of Germany, did not oppose the move but instead pointed to other European politicians who also kept their positions in Russia even after the military action in Ukraine got underway.

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Kneissl’s name was the only other one revealed by Die Welt besides Schroeder’s. While the Austrian politician does not belong to any political party, Kneissl is an ex-chancellor of Germany and a Rosneft member. The list does not include any European politicians.

The resolution would need to be passed by the EU Parliament. It then needs to be approved in full by representatives from the 27 EU member countries of the EU Council. This could occur on Friday according to Die Welt. Kneissl and Schroeder have not commented on this development.

Schroeder was subject to pressure by politicians and German officials to end ties with Moscow during the Russian military intervention in Ukraine. Some of his fellow party members demanded his removal from the German Social Democrats ranks. Borussia Dortmund was his favorite soccer club and demanded that Schroeder condemn Putin.

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The pressure has been held off by the former chancellor, who is still holding that position. “cannot isolate a country like Russia in the long run, neither politically nor economically”Russian energy would be required by Germany. “keep the economy going.”

Kneissl also called Russia an important part of the world economy in May. The energy crisis, as well as the soaring European prices and the conflict between Moscow & Kiev are not to be attributed to her. “The entire make-up of the crisis was here long before,”She said it at the time.

Russia attacked its neighboring state in late February, following Ukraine’s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow’s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. French and German-brokered protocols were intended to grant the regions that broke away special status in the Ukrainian government.

In recent years, the Kremlin demands that Ukraine declares itself neutral in order to be able to join NATO. Kiev maintains that Russia’s offensive was not provoked and denies claims that it planned to seize the two republics.

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