EU to name sanctions envoy to enforce curbs on Russia

The EU is to appoint a sanctions envoy to push for tighter enforcement of its penalties in countries including Turkiye, as the bloc seeks to crack down on circumvention of its measures against Russia, Report informs via the Financial Times.

David O’Sullivan, a former EU ambassador to the US, has been asked to fill the new post from January, according to people familiar with the process, with a remit of spearheading the European Commission’s efforts to ensure full compliance around the world.

Countries that the EU is focusing on include Turkiye, which has declined to follow the EU penalties taken against the Kremlin.

The US and EU have been pushing in particular for Ankara to crack down on shipments of banned goods by traders seeking to circumvent the tight export controls on industrial and defense products imposed on Russia.

Financial services commissioner Mairead McGuinness visited Turkiye in October in a bid to push the country to do more to bring the private sector into compliance with EU sanctions. Other countries including Serbia and the United Arab Emirates were also under scrutiny, said the senior EU official.