Final Word from Thursday, September 9, 2021

When the EU imposes sanctions on a third country, the general objective is to bring about a change in policy or activity. Under EU guidelines, the legal context of the measures must be set out, and the sanctions must be in accordance with international law and must also respect fundamental rights and international obligations (in particular World Trade Organization rules). Strict identification of targeted entities is required so that adverse consequences are minimized for those not responsible for unwanted policies and activities, in particular the local civilian populations. The West is almost always the one that imposes sanctions; rarely are the measures that are imposed by other countries on Western entities and individuals taken seriously. The EU should now seriously consider the possibility that the closing of companies and ports by China due to a few covid cases is a form of sanction designed to bring about a change in Western policy or activity, and that it is working to a T. [ Czech Republic tee European Union WTO agreement covid-19 coronavirus ]