Policies & IssuesDec 20, 2023
Lab-Grown Diamonds, Finished Jewelry to Fall Under G7 Ban, EU Says Policies & IssuesJan 05, 2024
EU Adds Alrosa to Sanctions List
The European Union also has sanctioned the diamond mining company’s CEO, Pavel Marinychev.
On Wednesday, the European Union added PJSC Alrosa, which is partially owned by the Russian government, and its CEO Pavel Marinychev to the list of entities it has sanctioned in the wake of Russian’s invasion of Ukraine.
Brussels—The European Union has added Russian diamond miner Alrosa and its CEO Pavel Alekseevich Marinychev to its list of sanctioned entities, a move that freezes their assets in the EU, prohibits EU companies and citizens from making funds available to them, and prevents Marinychev from entering or traveling through EU territories.
Announced Wednesday, the additions follow the EU’s announcement that it would be banning the import of Russian diamonds starting Jan. 1.
An EU official said the EU waited a couple days after the ban went into effect to add Alrosa and Marinychev to the sanctioned entities to “avoid confusion,” as the import ban was announced Dec. 18 but didn’t go into effect until Jan. 1, while the individual listings are effective immediately upon publication.
“In line with the diamond ban we have introduced with the 12th package of sanctions, the EU today lists Alrosa, the largest diamond mining company in the world & its CEO,” Josep Borrell Fontelles, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, said on X Wednesday.
“This is part of our coordinated efforts at G7 level to deprive Russia of this important revenue source.”
The Group of Seven nations (G7) announced last February that they would be working together to cut off the Russian government’s sources of revenue, including via tighter sanctions on diamonds.
The G7 nations are the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
In early December, following nearly a year of discussions around proposals from multiple industry organizations, the G7 issued a statement announcing all of its member nations that hadn’t done so already would ban the import of Russian diamonds beginning Jan. 1.
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Announced Wednesday, the additions follow the EU’s announcement that it would be banning the import of Russian diamonds starting Jan. 1.
An EU official said the EU waited a couple days after the ban went into effect to add Alrosa and Marinychev to the sanctioned entities to “avoid confusion,” as the import ban was announced Dec. 18 but didn’t go into effect until Jan. 1, while the individual listings are effective immediately upon publication.
“In line with the diamond ban we have introduced with the 12th package of sanctions, the EU today lists Alrosa, the largest diamond mining company in the world & its CEO,” Josep Borrell Fontelles, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs, said on X Wednesday.
“This is part of our coordinated efforts at G7 level to deprive Russia of this important revenue source.”
The Group of Seven nations (G7) announced last February that they would be working together to cut off the Russian government’s sources of revenue, including via tighter sanctions on diamonds.
The G7 nations are the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom.
In early December, following nearly a year of discussions around proposals from multiple industry organizations, the G7 issued a statement announcing all of its member nations that hadn’t done so already would ban the import of Russian diamonds beginning Jan. 1.
The EU, which is a non-enumerated member of the G7, announced its ban on Russian diamonds a couple weeks later.
The announcement provided details on the scope of the ban—lab-grown diamonds and finished jewelry eventually will be part of it—and how the EU plans to track diamonds through the supply pipeline to ensure they are not from Russia.
Alrosa has been under sanction in the U.S. since February 2022.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order banning the import of Russian diamonds the following month, though Russian diamonds cut and polished in other countries, like India, still are able to enter the U.S. because they are considered products of the country where they are “substantially transformed.”
The substantial transformation pathway is slated to close March 1, per the G7’s statement.
Marinychev was sanctioned by the U.S. in July, two months after he was named Sergey Ivanov Jr.’s successor.
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