New package of sanctions against Russia. In the background there is a scandal in an EU country
The EU diplomatic machine is shifting into higher gear. This week, Brussels is to officially present the draft of the 21st package of sanctions against the Russian Federation.
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Although the new restrictions are traditionally intended to cut off Moscow's financing and hit the banking sector and oil revenues, the most emotional issue is the issue of European aluminum oxide (aluminum).
This semi-finished product, necessary for aluminum smelting, flows in a wide stream from southern Ireland straight to Russian arms factories. This topic will be the focus of Tuesday's talks between the head of EU diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, who will visit Dublin as part of preparations for Ireland taking over the presidency of the EU Council from July 1.
The investigation exposes connections with the oligarch
The case was publicized by the Irish Times. A bleak picture emerges from a series of investigative articles: The huge Aughinish refinery located on the island belongs to the Rusal concern, controlled by the oligarch Oleg Deripaska with ties to the Kremlin. Worse still, in the first three months of this year, the plant sent the lion's share of its production directly to Russia. From there, the raw material went to steel mills that supplied factories producing weapons that were massively used against Ukraine.
So far, Brussels and Dublin have turned a blind eye to this practice, believing that these supplies are of marginal importance. However, the pressure is growing – a group of 39 MEPs from 12 EU countries categorically demanded that the EC introduce an immediate ban on the export of aluminum. Kaja Kallas confirmed that this issue will dominate her meeting with Prime Minister Micheal Martin and Foreign Minister Helen McEntee:
“Our goal is to actually deprive Moscow of the money it receives from various sources. So we can discuss what kind of [objęcie tlenku glinu zakazem eksportu] will have an impact and whether member states will be willing to agree to increase pressure on Russia. So I think that's something we'll discuss tomorrow.”
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Economic blackmail versus solidarity
The authorities of the Aughinish factory began intensive lobbying, trying to block the sanctions and threatening the Irish government with serious economic consequences. In their official position, they argue that their plants produce electricity for 200,000 people. houses, and the restrictions will trigger a wave of layoffs.
The company also claims that meets only one tenth of Russia's demand, and therefore EU sanctions “will have no significant impact on Russia and will potentially increase inflation in commodity markets in Europe.”
