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Austria drops objections, paves way for EU’s 19th Russia sanctions package

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by Olena Goncharova
Austria drops objections, paves way for EU’s 19th Russia sanctions package
European Union flags decorates the façade of the iconic Berlaymont building, the seat of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium, on May 31, 2023. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Austria has dropped its opposition to the European Union’s latest sanctions package against Russia, clearing the way for the bloc to move forward with its 19th round of restrictive measures. EU foreign ministers are expected to finalize the package at a meeting in Luxembourg on Oct. 20.

Vienna had previously held up the sanctions over a demand that the EU compensate Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank International for losses inflicted by Russian penalties. Other member states rejected the request, leaving the package deadlocked until Austria’s reversal this week.

"Austria supports continued pressure on Russia and will approve the 19th package of sanctions on Monday," the Austrian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, according to Reuters.

The new measures include additional energy and financial restrictions, most notably moving up a planned ban on Russian liquefied natural gas imports to Jan. 1, 2027, a year earlier than originally proposed.

Slovakia had also voiced reservations, but according to four EU diplomats cited by Reuters, the European Commission is expected to issue a letter addressing Bratislava’s concerns ahead of the final vote.

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Article imageThe Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima
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European UnionRussiaSanctionsAustriaSanctions against RussiaSlovakia
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Olena Goncharova

Head of North America desk

Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.

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