EU Council mulling EU court decision on sanctioning of Swiss-Russian

The EU Council is currently mulling a decision of the EU General Court annulling for a second time a decision to sanction Swiss-Russian Alexander Pumpyanskiy and considering whether it needs to take action on it, a source familiar with the issue has told Euronews.

Pumpyanskiy is a long-term resident of Geneva who previously held positions in companies formerly owned by his father, Russian businessman Dmitry Pumpyanskiy.

He was originally included in sanctions lists on the basis of positions he held in his father’s companies, but is now listed under the EU’s 2023 amended sanctions criteria, which include “close family members who benefit from listed individuals”.

The General Court annulled the Council’s sanction decision in 2023, noting procedural flaws and insufficient justification since Pumpyanskiy had resigned from his corporate positions. The Council did not appeal the decision, but subsequently renewed its sanctions decision against Pumpyanskiy in mid-March this year.

Two weeks after the renewed sanctions decision the EU General Court ruled for a second time that the Council’s decision was unlawful.

Pumpyanskiy’s lawyers argue that the sanctions decision of 15 March “is no different from those annulled [on 2 April] by the General Court of the EU”.

They have called for the judgment to be executed “without delay”, and argue that “it is imperative that the Council of the EU respect one of the main foundations of the Rule of Law, namely the enforcement of court decisions. This implies the immediate delisting of Alexander Pumpyanskiy.”

Pumpyanskiy’s lawyers have also brought a claim for damages before the General Court against the Council for alleged harm caused by the sanctions.

An EU source said that the Council was currently analysing the court’s decision with a view to whether it needed to take action on it.

Speaking to Euronews prior to the March renewal decision and ahead of the Court’s 2 April judgment, Pumpyanskiy said “The reason for listing me in 2022 was the association with my father,” adding that “it been three years since I left the board of those companies and I won the case, so the only thing left on which to base the decision is the relationship to my father.”

In the interview, Pumpyanskiy related his experience of sanctions.

“The first thing is that your finances are affected. The banks block your accounts. That’s the first stage; after that, other problems follow: you’re cut from all the basic services that everyone needs, especially mobile phones, domestic internet,  insurance, cars, etc., so, bit by bit, daily life became extremely complicated for me.”

The Council did not respond to a request for comment.