Making Sanctions Work: Political, Legal, and Economic Challenges of EU Restrictive Measures

The sanctions packages adopted by the European Union (EU), which intend to intensify pressure on Russia's government and economy, have resurged traditional debates concerning the political, legal and economic reach of restrictive measures.

On the political stage, the legitimacy of international sanctions has been challenged on the basis of their unilateral coercive nature, and as an instrument that is capable of affecting domains that go beyond its strict targets. Issues of uniform implementation and effective enforcement were also brought up, resulting in a number of initiatives at the EU level.

On the legal side, international sanctions have become one of the most voluminous fields of litigation before EU Courts. Through their case-law, the Courts actually shape the limits of this impactful foreign policy tool, giving an answer to unresolved questions relating to procedural rights of the sanctioned persons, the burden and standard of proof, the scope of judicial review, confidentiality, damages, etc. The Ukraine crisis and the restrictive measures adopted against Russia have also made apparent numerous private law issues, which, in essence, call for an action that guarantees legal certainty for private operators.

Finally, the economics of the international sanctions put in place by the EU against Russia have awaken a singular interest among scholars and experts. The key words in that regard are effectiveness and impact Are EU sanctions effective as tools for conditioning Russia's actions? Can those measures be designed in a way that minimises the negative impact on the EU's economy?

In the third edition of this executive training programme, designed and delivered by EU policymakers and leading academics, participants will acquire an analytical and practical toolkit for understanding sanctions from various angles -- political, legal, and economic -- and for evaluating their effectiveness.