EU needs to crack down on Russian sanctions evasion, Dutch minister says

The European Union should use its full economic and legal force to punish those who enable the evasion of sanctions against Russia, Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra said on Monday.

At a speech at the College of Europe in Bruges, Hoekstra said the EU should use its collective economic strength and criminal justice systems to prevent the measures being circumvented. "By naming, shaming, sanctioning and prosecuting them," he said.

The EU should set up a "sanctions headquarters" in Brussels where countries can pool their information and resources in the fight against such evasion, the Dutch minister said.

"This new HQ would establish a watch list of sectors and trade flows with a high circumvention risk. Companies will be obliged to include end-use clauses in their contracts, so that their products don't end up in the Russian war machine.''