Izvestia has learned from EU Parliament members that following the 18th sanctions package just decided on, the 19th package is being prepared, its likely adoption occurring in October. “The EU is addicted to sanctions, like some people are addicted to alcohol or drugs. This is a form of obsessive retaliation,” said Member of European Parliament Thierry Mariani (France, member of Identity and Democracy group in the EU Parliament).
According to experts, the EU will, however, face considerable difficulty in reaching consensus on new packages every three months. “The most painful sectors for Russia have already been targeted, including energy, high technology, and financial settlements. What the EU is doing now is, in part, an imitation of action, rather than genuine measures,” Stanislav Tkachenko, an expert with the Valdai Discussion Club, told the Russian daily Izvestia. In any case, like the 18 packages before, new measures would not cause significant damage to the Russian economy, he added.
