The European Union recognized the ineffectiveness of the sanctions against Russia. This is written in the report of the European Court of Audit (ECA).
The critics point out that the sanctions and customs legislation of the European Union contain vague and unclear wording, which each country in the Union interprets differently. This creates the risk of so-called forum shopping - companies choose the best jurisdiction to conduct operations. In particular, businesses can use EU countries for this purpose, where the monitoring of compliance with restrictions is less strict.
The ECA recommends clarifying the regulatory framework, strengthening the enforcement of sanctions and improving the exchange of information between member states. According to the report, in 2025 the European Union remains Russia's third largest trading partner.