DISINFO: According to Josep Borrell, sanctions are no longer effective
SUMMARY
Josep Borrell personally declared two months ago that the European sanctions regime is no longer useful, neither against Russia nor against any other country, and [he said] we must think about finding other mechanisms to make the EU's voice heard internationally.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about sanctions.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has constantly supported imposing restrictive measures to “intervene where necessary to prevent conflict or respond to emerging or current crises”.
On several occasions, Borrell has been a supporter of such measures, emphasising that “sanctions are always effective because they affect [targeted] people. They affect their wealth, and their capacity of movement”, and has even recently commented on the recent aggression on Ukraine by saying “The EU will respond in the strongest possible terms and agree on the harshest package of sanctions we have ever implemented”.
It is worth noting that EU sanctions are legitimate restrictions imposed in accordance with international and European law. Through restrictive measures, the EU intervenes where appropriate to respond to emerging or current crises. EU sanctions are carefully targeted and designed to be proportionate to the objectives they seek to achieve.
Read more cases in our database that claims that Western sanctions are illegal and hostile actions; or that it was the EU that suffered the most from anti-Russian sanctions; or that EU sanctions against Russia dealt a big blow to Europe itself; or that sanctions cost Europe more than they cost Russia, or that the EU adopts sanctions against Belarus to manage its own internal contradictions, or that EU sanctions on Russia are absurd.