EU bans imports from Crimea

The European Union has banned imports of goods from Crimea from Wednesday June 25, in response to the March annexation and continued occupation of the Ukrainian region by Russian forces.

June 23, 2014

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From Wednesday, goods originating in Crimea and the region’s largest port, Sevastopol, may not be imported into the European Union, according to an EU statement released on Monday June 23.

Goods originating in Crimea which have been granted a certificate of origin by Ukrainian authorities may still be imported into the EU.

The EU said that the decision was part of its “non-recognition policy regarding the illegal annexation of Crimea”.

Crimea’s Sevastopol port has seen shipments of steel redirected to Ukraine’s ports of Mariupol and Odessa in the wake of Russia’s annexation of the region.

Steel First reported in April that steel traders in Crimea were having trouble replenishing stocks after having been cut off from their traditional long-term suppliers in Ukraine.

The USA and the EU imposed sanctions on Russian individuals with close ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin earlier this year.

In April sanctions were extended to companies belonging to individuals linked to Putin.