the European Commission proposes to ban diamond imports from Russia

The European Commission has proposed banning diamond imports from Russia as part of a new package of sanctions linked to the war in Ukraine, according to the text of its proposal consulted on Wednesday November 15 by AFP. This text, which must constitute the twelfth package of sanctions against Moscow, will be discussed on Friday by the member states.

Moscow is accused of financing part of the war in Ukraine through the lucrative diamond trade, which represents a turnover of around four to five billion dollars a year. The EU ban will cover natural or synthetic diamonds, and jewelry, from January 2024, and Russian diamonds cut in other countries from September, according to the proposal.

The EU is also seeking to improve the effectiveness of sanctions taken against Russian oil, and the Commission is proposing to extend these sanctions to LPG, liquefied petroleum gas, butane and propane, used in particular for heating . However, it did not take up a request from the European Parliament, which also wanted a total ban on imports of LNG, liquefied natural gas, much more widespread in the EU.