The Prime Ministers of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia Sign a Joint Declaration on Unified Regional Implementation of EU Sanctions
On Wednesday, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas signed a joint declaration on the unified regional implementation of European Union's sanctions against Russia, which is continuing its war against Ukraine, and Belarus, which is complicit in the aggression.
The Declaration notes that closing loopholes and ensuring the effective application of EU sanctions is critical to strengthen their impact and undermine Russia's ability to continue its war of aggression.
The document commits to ensuring uniform customs checks and information exchange, with the relevant Baltic authorities to adopt the regional approach by 31 January 2024 at the latest.
The commitment is made that the customs authorities of the countries will agree to follow common investigation methods in case of identifying irregular routes of goods, requiring additional documentation on their transit or end-use, as well as additional declarations by producers and exporters to reduce the risk of circumventing sanctions.
Countries also agreed to call on other border states to adopt unified regional approach to EU sanctions.
The Declaration underlines the importance of the Baltic States working together to ensure strict and uniform application of sanctions. Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, while supporting the uniform application of EU sanctions at the European Union level, agree on the urgent need for a regional approach to the implementation of sanctions, given the unique geographical situation of the Baltic States.
Joint declaration of the Prime Ministers of the Baltic States.