According to Ms Grigaitė-Daugirdė, after the start of the aggression by russia against Ukraine, Lithuania was one of the first not only to take all possible legal initiatives to ensure that justice is not delayed and that the aggressor country is held legally accountable, but also to continue to make every effort to achieve international justice. In the context of application of EU sanctions for violations of EU restrictive measures, we are pleased about the unity of the EU in approving sanction packages, however, the proper implementation of sanctions in practice is equally important. Lithuania has opened a number of pre-trial investigations for breaches of EU sanctions and applied administrative liability for minor violations. In 2022 alone, administrative liability was applied for almost 1000 of such violations. Lithuania has also adopted amendments to its legislation to allow legal entities to be sanctioned for breaches of international sanctions by a fine. In addition, it has been provided that, in addition to a fine, it will be possible to order confiscation of goods or funds that were the object or result of the violation of international sanctions for violations of international sanctions.
The Vice-Minister stressed that legal regulatory mechanisms were sought at national level in order to enable the fines imposed for violations of international sanctions and the confiscated assets to be used specifically for the purposes of reconstruction of Ukraine. A draft law has been drawn up providing that the funds obtained from the fines paid or asset confiscation as a result of sanction violations shall be allocated to the Fund for Development Cooperation and used for projects related to the reconstruction of Ukraine. Lithuania is developing a legal mechanism to contribute effectively to Ukraine's reconstruction.
The Council also discusses the challenges encountered in prosecuting for violations of sanctions. Emphasis was placed on the difficulties gathering evidence in other countries, the impact of cooperation with other countries on the length of investigations, attempts to circumvent sanctions, the problems of storing detained goods due to their volume or storage costs, etc.
The event welcomed the fact that the Directive on the definition of criminal offences and penalties for the violation of Union restrictive measures will bring more clarity on the distinction between criminal and administrative liability and on other issues important for practitioners.
Ms Grigaitė-Daugirdė notes that Lithuania supports the initiative to extend the competence of the European Public Prosecutor's Office also to investigate violations of the Union restrictive measures. We believe that this would be a forceful step forward in the implementation of sanctions and a more effective fight against their circumvention.
Council of Justice and Home Affairs of the European Union also discussed the protection against strategic lawsuits against public participation protection, the fight against trafficking in human beings, violence against women and domestic violence, the fight against hate crimes, and other topical issues.
The meeting of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council took place in Luxembourg (Grand Duchy of Luxembourg).
