Brussels excludes the transit of goods by train to Kaliningrad from the sanctions against Russia

The European Union excludes from the sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine the transit of goods by train to the Russian enclave of Kaliningradsandwiched between Poland and Lithuania.

Brussels has published this Wednesday a new guide addressed to the Member States in which it clarifies that “there is no transit ban on sanctioned goods for rail transport”except in the case of military material.

The recommendation comes after Russia has threatened Lithuania with serious consequences for restricting since mid-June the movement of goods to his Kaliningrad enclave.

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The head of European diplomacy, Joseph Borrellhad to come out in defense of Lithuania and clarify that the Baltic country had limited itself to applying the EU sanctions and had not adopted any unilateral measures.

In an attempt to cool down the tension in the area, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholzhas called on the EU to lift all restrictions on the movement of goods between Russia and Kaliningrad. “It’s about transit between two parts of Russia”, Scholz claimed.

Brussels has not gone as far as the German chancellor claimed. His guide confirms that road transport of sanctioned goods (such as iron, steel, cement, wood, coal and oil) between Russia and Kaliningrad yes it is forbidden. The rest of the goods can continue to circulate normally, beyond the delays caused by the controls of the Lithuanian authorities.

As far as the railway is concerned, the Community Executive assures that this prohibition does not apply. However, the Member States (in this case Lithuania) must monitor whether the volumes of goods in transit remain within the historical average of the last three years.

European governments are required to verify whether the transit of goods reflects the real demand for essential goods in Kaliningrad and whether there are unusual trade flows or patterns that could lead to sanctions evasion. These controls must be “selective, proportional and effective”.

The transit of military goods and technologies and sanctioned dual-use products is totally prohibited in any case, regardless of the mode of transport, the Commission explained.