Europe

EU approves new sanctions against Crimea

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The European Union has slapped additional bans on Crimea, which reunified with the Russian Federation earlier this year.

The new sanctions, which were announced on Thursday, ban all investment and limit cruise ships from Crimea’s ports as the bloc says it will not recognize what it calls Russia’s “illegal annexation” of the territory.

“The annexation is illegal and what we are doing is part of the non-recognition” policy, European Commission spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said.

Under the new embargoes, Europeans and EU-based companies are not allowed to buy real estate or businesses in Crimea, finance Crimean companies or supply services as of December 20.

Tourism services to Crimea’s Black Sea beaches or other destinations are banned while cruise ships belonging to an EU-based company or flying an EU member state’s flag will also no longer be allowed to call at Sevastopol or other Crimean ports, except in an emergency.

EU companies, in addition, can no longer export goods or technology for use in the transport, telecoms and energy sectors, especially for gas and oil exploration and production.

The EU has already imposed a number of sanctions against Crimean, Russian and other pro-Russia figures following a decision by Ukraine’s then autonomous region of Crimea to re-join the Russian Federation.

Crimea declared independence from Ukraine on March 17 and formally applied to become part of Russia following a referendum a day earlier, in which 96.8 percent of the participants voted in favor of the secession. The voter turnout in the referendum stood at 83.1 percent.

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