Euroviews. The dragnet approach to the EU individual sanctions regime is failing

Since the very beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022, the European Union has taken many measures and posed sanctions against Russia and those deemed to be “supporting, financing or implementing actions” in the war effort.

Unfortunately, in a hurried approach, some of the bureaucrats who put together the list and the criteria for applying personal sanctions against hundreds of individuals took what now appears to be a scorched earth policy. On many occasions, they seemingly relied on simple Google searches and Russia’s rich list, much of which would not have stood up in court.

In fact, in April, this was proven true.

Two individuals, Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven, successfully proved before the European Court of Justice that the European Council had not presented enough evidence to establish that they met the necessary bar of being involved in efforts that “undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine”.

Now, another hearing on one of the most egregious cases to date could deal another blow to the sanctions regime.

On 19 June, the General Court, the Court of Justice of the European Union, held a hearing on the case of Dr Moshe Kantor, former President of the European Jewish Congress (EJC), who stepped back from his position following the Council's decision to include him on the list of individual sanctions in 2022.

Kantor is the only democratically elected leader of a European minority community who was included on the individual sanctions list. In his role as a Jewish leader, he met with many European heads of state, European decision-makers and opinion-shapers.

For his activities, the promotion of tolerance and fighting against xenophobia and antisemitism, Dr Kantor