The Effectiveness of the EU’s Sanctions Policy
Brussels Briefing with Kees Smit Sibinga, Karl-Georg Wellmann, and Francesco Giumelli.
Kees Smit Sibinga, deputy head of the sanctions policy division of the European External Action Service (EEAS) stressed that the EEAS’s geographical expertise and ability to coordinate closely with EU member states and the Commission made it well-placed for supporting European considerations of whether to apply sanctions. This is also highlighted by the fact that the EEAS has established a separate sanctions division, which has a growing staff. Outlining the underlying principles of the EU’s sanctions policy, Sibinga stated that sanctions are only one device among many and that they work best when flanked by other foreign policy and diplomatic tools. “The central aim when imposing sanctions on a targeted country is to bring about a change of behavior. Thus, reversibility and scalability are central principles of the EU’s sanctions policy,” he said.
Karl-Georg Wellmann, member of the German Bundestag’s Foreign Affairs Committee, shed light on how EU sanctions policy has been applied in the ongoing conflict with Russia over the future of Ukraine. He highlighted that sanctions against Russia have been necessary, as the West does not have the option of military engagement in the conflict. In his view, there are some signs that the sanctions applied by the EU as well as other partners like the US and Canada have had an impact on Russia. “Russia signals its readiness to resume negotiations,” Wellmann concluded.
Francesco Giumelli, assistant professor of international relations at the University of Groningen, outlined empirical findings and guiding principles that help to analyze the effectiveness of the EU’s sanctions policy. Because sanctions are almost never applied alone, he sees it as worthwhile to try to spotlight the individual role of sanctions in EU’s overall foreign policy strategy. In addition, Giumelli noted the importance of considering the coercive and constraining effects on the target countries as well as the signals that sanctions potentially send to other countries willing to break with international norms. Moreover, he recommended that the EU should assess in much more detail the role of actors involved and their constellation as well as the impact sanctions have on them. Finally, the comparative utility of alternatives to the tool of sanctions should also be weighed.
The panelists were invited by the DGAP’s Alfred von Oppenheim Center for European Policy Studies as part of its Brussels Briefing series. The event was moderated by its head of program, Almut Möller.
