Ministerial Committee on EU Affairs receives briefing on EU sanctions against Russia

In its meeting on Friday 28 March, the Ministerial Committee on European Union Affairs discussed three issues: EU sanctions against Russia, the nomination of members to the European Economic and Social Committee for the 2025–2030 term, and the upcoming informal meeting of defence ministers.

The Ministerial Committee received a briefing on ‘EU sanctions against Russia as part of the negotiations to end Russia’s war of aggression’. The EU introduced its first sanctions against Russia in 2014. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, the sanctions have been significantly expanded. The EU has adopted 16 packages of sanctions since February 2022, the most recent of which was on 24 February of this year.
 
The Ministerial Committee on EU Affairs nominated Finland’s candidates for the European Economic and Social Committee for the 2025–2030 term. Finland has nine seats on the committee. The European Economic and Social Committee is a permanent consultative body of the European Union. It issues opinions and communications at the request of the EU institutions and on its own initiative. The committee represents three groups: employers, workers and civil society organisations.

The Ministerial Committee on EU Affairs also outlined Finland’s positions for the informal meeting of defence ministers in Warsaw on 2–3 April. The meeting will focus on the EU’s military support for Ukraine and the White Paper on the Future of European Defence, and may also include a discussion on countering hybrid threats.

Inquiries: Juuso Kilpinen, Special Adviser for EU Affairs, tel. +358 295 160 444, Jari Luoto, Director General, EU Affairs Department, tel. +358 50 468 5949, and Anne Sjöholm, Head of Communications for EU Affairs, tel. +358 40 537 0733, Prime Minister’s Office