BRUSSELS, June 28 The EU cannot simply take away the frozen assets of the Russian Federation, it must retain the ability to return them in full and with interest, a high-ranking European source told reporters in Brussels.
“Sanctions are aimed at changing behavior, not at punishment. This means that you can’t do just what you want. You can’t take money and put it in your own safe. We follow the rules. When blocking, freezing funds, you must always to be able to return them as soon as the behavior (sub-sanctions — ed.) changes. That is, one must be able to return these funds with interest,» he said.
The source also added that when it comes to the use of assets, in the EU they mean exactly financial means. He also explained that in order to use income from Russian assets, «it is necessary to find an opportunity to earn on these funds more than interest plus the frozen funds themselves.»
«Besides, when funds are frozen, potential investors will think twice about what might happen to them if they fall into the sanctions lists. We need to think about the possible domino effect,» he warned.
The source also did not rule out that, in case of violations in the implementation of the decision on the use of assets, there may be appeals to the court from the victims, which would be «counterproductive».