Former Minister of Economics Artis Kampars commented on the latest EU sanctions package against Russia during the TV24 program Preses klubs, calling the approach to imposing sanctions too formal and possibly not yielding real results.
Kampars acknowledged that he initially monitored what was included in the sanctions packages, but later, when the 10th package was introduced, his interest in this diminished due to a lack of faith in their effectiveness. According to the former minister, the fact that the 19th package of sanctions against the Russian Federation is being adopted indicates systemic problems.
"If this is the 19th package, then we should consider that something is not right, since there was something wrong with the previous 18 packages and they are not really working," Kampars stated.
In the opinion of the ex-minister, the EU needs a fundamental change in mindset for the sanctions to truly work and for the Russian economy to feel their impact.
"What is needed here is not just a process where we show that we are fighting, but one that has results, where these results are achieved effectively," he said.
Additionally, Kampars pointed out issues related to ways of circumventing sanctions: "So far, as far as I understand and as we see in the public space, the circumvention is very simple. I do not hear that repeated sanctions are being imposed against third countries trading in Russian goods."
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