EU 15th sanctions package

The 15th package is part of the European Union's escalating sanctions regime against Russia adopted in response to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022. Adopted by the Council of the EU in December 2024, it built on the prior fourteen packages that had progressively targeted Russian energy revenues, financial institutions, dual-use exports, individuals close to the Kremlin, and third-country circumvention networks.

Key elements widely reported in the package included:

• Listings of additional individuals and entities linked to Russia's military, propaganda apparatus, and the deportation of Ukrainian children, subjecting them to EU asset freezes and travel bans.
• Further measures against the "shadow fleet" of tankers used to transport Russian crude oil above the G7 price cap, with dozens of additional vessels designated and barred from EU ports and services.
• Listings of third-country entities, including companies in mainland China, that the EU assessed were assisting Russia in circumventing existing restrictions or supplying dual-use goods relevant to the war effort.
• Protections for EU operators facing claims in Russian courts as a result of complying with sanctions, extending mechanisms allowing them to seek compensation within the EU.

Like previous packages, the 15th set was adopted under Articles 29 TEU and 215 TFEU, requiring unanimity in the Council for the underlying CFSP decision before implementing regulations took legal effect across all member states. It did not contain a major new sectoral ban on the scale of the original oil embargo (8th package) or the LNG transshipment restrictions (14th package); instead, it focused on enforcement, circumvention, and the shadow fleet.

For delegates and researchers, the package is most useful as evidence of the EU's shift from headline sectoral measures toward tightening implementation gaps, particularly via maritime designations and third-country listings.