Italy – Sinking of a boat of the coast of Crotone (Feb. 26, 2023)

France expresses its deep sadness following the sinking of a boat off the Italian coast that caused the death of some 60 people. Our thoughts go out to the victims and their families, to whom we offer our most sincere condolences.

This tragedy once again highlights the tragic conditions under which people opt for exile, taking all kinds of risks and exposing themselves to all kinds of dangers. As Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna reiterated, we must work even more closely with relevant third countries and develop a coordinated European approach to both sea rescues and to the fight against trafficking networks to ensure that such a tragedy does not happen again.

France is determined to continue the effort under way with its European partners in a manner that emphasizes both responsibility and solidarity in order to finalize the Pact on Migration and Asylum as quickly as possible.

EU – Adoption of 10^th package of sanctions against Russia (Feb. 25, 2023)

On February 25, the Council of the European Union unanimously adopted its 10^th package of sanctions against Russia, one year after that country launched its unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine.

This package imposes sanctions on 121 individuals and entities contributing to the Russian war effort: military leaders, officials, propagandists and creators of disinformation, people working with the Wagner Group, economic actors and banks (among them Alfa-Bank, Rosbank and Tinkoff Bank). It also imposes sanctions on individuals involved in the most serious Russian crimes committed in Ukraine, in particular the deportation of Ukrainian children and producers of drones targeting civilians and infrastructure in Ukraine. That includes Iranian officials. With this 10^th package, 1,473 individuals and 205 entities are now listed under the EU sanctions regime.

This package also includes new export restrictions on dual-use and advanced technologies, vehicles, machinery and construction goods. It includes import restrictions on certain high-revenue items for Russia, notably synthetic rubber. Russian citizens are also banned from serving on the governing bodies of critical infrastructure companies or entities owned or operated by EU member states. They are also banned from booking gas storage capacity in the EU. And another two propaganda outlets have been added to the media ban.

These sanctions illustrate the EU’s ongoing support for Ukraine.