The EU Commission wants to present a proposal to confiscate frozen Russian money. The funds are to be used for the reconstruction of Ukraine. Finance Minister Brunner has legal concerns.
Russian oligarchs have during the Ukraine-War lost access to luxury yachts, real estate and other assets worth almost 10 billion euros. According to information from the German Press Agency, this is based on figures from the EU Commission. On April 8, the value was still 6.7 billion euros.
The EU Commission wants to present a legislative proposal this Wednesday that should make it possible to confiscate frozen Russian money. This money could then be used to rebuild the Ukraine be used. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized on Tuesday: “We should turn every stone for this – if possible also Russian assets that we have frozen.”
EU task force tracks down assets
Since the beginning of the Ukraine-War put a number of Russian oligarchs on the sanctions list because they are accused of supporting the war. At the beginning of March, an EU special unit was set up to ensure better cooperation between EU countries and to track down the assets of the oligarchs.
A good month later, the first balance was drawn: the EU states had frozen assets of 29.5 billion euros by then – 6.7 billion euros came from the assets of oligarchs. Added to this were the frozen assets of the Russian central bank.
According to the Federal Chancellery, 254 million euros in assets belonging to Russian oligarchs have been frozen in Austria. The task force responsible, led by the Directorate for State Security and Intelligence (DSN) in the Ministry of the Interior, has frozen the money in a total of 97 accounts. The Federal Chancellery announced that this was more than twice as much as Germany was able to report as of March.
Brunner skeptical about reconstruction financing
Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) was skeptical about the confiscation of Russian assets for the reconstruction of the EU on Tuesday during a meeting with his EU counterparts Ukraine. This demand is “politically understandable and understandable,” said Brunner. However, this is “legally very, very difficult,” emphasized the department head.
Germany’s Finance Minister Christian Lindner also said on Tuesday that Germany was open to a debate about using confiscated Russian assets to rebuild the country Ukraine to use. But you have to distinguish between state funds – such as the central bank – and private funds. “In our constitution there are guarantees for private assets,” said Lindner.
(APA/dpa)