The President of the European Council Charles Michelle advocates the confiscation of the assets of Russians who are under sanctions in order to further use them to compensate for the damage caused by Russia in the war against Ukraine. Michelle said this in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
“Personally, I am absolutely convinced that it is extremely important not only to freeze assets, but also to make their confiscation possible, to make them accessible to restore the country. This is my personal belief,” Michelle said.
At the same time, he stated, citing professional experience as a lawyer, that “the legal level of this issue is not so simple.” There are 27 legal systems in the EU, and in many EU member states, the court will need to make a decision. This is a difficult and long process, ”added the President of the European Council.
In this regard, Michelle said that he had already instructed the legal service of the Council to prepare “some possible ideas in order to find a legal decision in accordance with the principles of the rule of law, which would facilitate and make it possible to confiscate the assets of people who are under EU sanctions or other countries Mira “.
“In my opinion, this is a matter of justice, not only freezing assets, but also their confiscation to make this money available to the Ukrainian authorities … Especially for restoration of the country. This is a matter of justice.”