A new policy brief by the Institute for legislative ideas examines the compensatory function of sanctions, arguing that those who cause harm, or enable it through sanctions violations, must contribute to repairing the damage.
Against the backdrop of continued debate in the European Union about how to leverage hundreds of billions in frozen Russian sovereign assets, the brief’s focus on asset confiscation and fines is especially timely. EU leaders have yet to agree on a well-defined proposal to use those immobilized funds to support Ukraine’s financial and reconstruction needs, a policy challenge with both legal and political dimensions.
The brief analyses existing legal and enforcement mechanisms and puts forward concrete recommendations to strengthen their effectiveness. It makes the case for linking sanctions enforcement more directly to Ukraine’s reconstruction, ensuring that violations do not remain cost-free and that justice has a tangible, material dimension.
