The European Union’s top priority in defending its strategic interests is to complete its economic and energy decoupling from Russia. Achieving this goal requires a robust and coordinated sanctions enforcement framework that can close loopholes, curb evasion, and constrain the Kremlin’s ability to sustain its war economy. These issues were at the centre of the panel “Sanctions Enforcement for Strategic Decoupling from Russia”, organised by the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) at the Forum 2000 Conference in Prague.
The discussion, moderated by Pavel Havlíček, Research Fellow at the Association for International Affairs (AMO), brought together Laura Codruța Kövesi, European Chief Prosecutor at the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO); Kamila Xenie Vetišková, Director at the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Martin Vladimirov, Director of the Geoeconomics Program at CSD; and Isaac Levi, Team Lead at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
Ms. Kövesi underscored the lack of an effective mechanism for sanctions enforcement across EU member states. She argued that expanding the EPPO’s mandate to include the investigation of sanctions evasion would fill a major gap in the EU’s capacity to uphold its restrictive measures.
Ms. Vetišková highlighted that, despite legislative loopholes, EU sanctions have had a strong and measurable impact on the Russian economy. She stressed that enforcement should be improved on a case-by-case basis, as many deficiencies only become evident in implementation.
Mr. Vladimirov called for a shift from a defensive to a proactive European strategy that safeguards the EU’s strategic autonomy. He emphasised the need to lift derogations on Russian oil imports in Central Europe, impose an immediate ban on Russian gas, and close refining loopholes that allow Moscow to continue generating revenue. He also urged strengthening the capacity of customs authorities to investigate the relabeling of dual-use goods and petroleum products.
Mr. Levi pointed out that sanctions can only be effective if oil price caps are strictly enforced, shadow tankers are targeted, and re-exports and fertilizer imports are restricted. He noted that the EU paid over €1 trillion in energy subsidies in 2022 to mitigate the crisis triggered by Russia’s energy blackmail—roughly equivalent to Moscow’s fossil fuel export revenues since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The panel concluded that Europe’s sanctions regime stands at a turning point: while it has significantly constrained Russia’s war economy, persistent enforcement gaps and energy dependencies continue to undermine the EU’s strategic decoupling. Strengthening institutional capacity, closing legislative loopholes, and deepening transatlantic cooperation remain essential for ensuring the effectiveness of sanctions as a tool of economic and democratic resilience.
