European Union: Export Controls & Trade & Investment Sanctions

Luxembourg's Finance Ministry has launched an investigation into former Gazprombank Luxembourg managers over allegations of sanctions circumvention and potential insider trading. The probe centers on a sophisticated bond-trading scheme that allegedly exploited EU sanctions through transactions between Luxembourg and Russia.

Can arbitral institutions actually make arbitration faster — or is that just wishful thinking? A new chapter in the Austrian Yearbook on International Arbitration 2026 revisits this question, hotly debated at last year’s World Café during the Vienna Arbitration Days.

Sweden is modernizing its military equipment regulatory framework in response to NATO membership and evolving security needs. The reforms introduce revised licensing guidelines that prioritize allied defense capabilities, new exemptions for subcontractors, expanded reporting requirements, and a shift in firearms manufacturing oversight from defense to civilian authorities.

The Council of the European Union has adopted its 20th and 21st sanctions packages against Russia, marking a fundamental shift in EU sanctions policy. Rather than simply expanding lists of designated persons, these measures systematically target the financial infrastructure—payment channels, banking relationships, crypto-asset ecosystems, correspondent banking, trade finance, and maritime logistics—that enables Russia's war economy.

Austrian authorities have uncovered a sophisticated international procurement network allegedly supplying CNC machines and metal processing tools to Russia's state-owned arms manufacturer ROSTEC, circumventing export controls through forged end-user certificates and a web of companies across multiple countries. The investigation has revealed exports valued at €3.3 million, with goods reportedly used in producing engines for missiles and fighter jets, leading to the arrest of a Belarussian national who

The European Union has adopted its 21st package of restrictive measures against Russia, introducing significant new sanctions targeting the financial sector, crypto-assets, energy industry, and shadow fleet operations.

On 11 June 2026, the Court of Justice of the European Union (the “Court”) delivered its judgment in Case C-81/24, Jenec. The case concerned the relationship between the right of access to a payment account with basic features under Directive 2014/92/EU (the “Payment Accounts Directive”) and the AML/CFT obligations imposed on financial institutions under Directive (EU) 2015/849 (the “AML Directive”).

The European Union has significantly expanded its Russia sanctions regime by designating 34 individuals and 47 entities across multiple sectors, including military-industrial operations, shadow fleet energy transport, disinformation campaigns, and human rights violations connected to Alexei Navalny's death. These measures extend beyond Russian borders to target third-country facilitators in China, UAE, Turkey, and other jurisdictions, demonstrating the EU's evolving approach to disrupting international sanc

European manufacturers are exploring three distinct pathways to pivot civilian production capacity toward defence manufacturing, each carrying unique regulatory, tax, and operational implications.