The head of the EC announced the work on the sixth package of sanctions against Russia

Brussels is preparing new restrictions against RUSSIA, including discussing sanctionsagainst Sberbank and the energy sector,reported by Ursula von der Leyen Ursula von der Leyen

The European Union is developing the next, sixth package of sanctions against Russia because of the military operation in Ukraine, the HEAD of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said in an interview with Bild am Sonntag.

The measures could include further restrictions against the banking sector, she said. “Especially [we are studying] Sberbank, which accounts for 37% of this sector,” she said (quoted from Zeit Online). In addition, Brussels is considering issues related to energy.

According to von der Leyen, the European Commission is now "in the process of developing smart mechanisms" through which the next package of sanctions will affect Russian oil . Earlier, the inevitability of these measures was announced by the head of the European Council, Charles Michel, according to whom, restrictions on oil and gas from Russia "sooner or later will be required."

The NYT learned that the EU linked the ban on oil from Russia to the elections in France Politics

Von der Leyen also dismissed suggestions that the German government was slowing down sanctions against Russia: “Germany approved all five of our proposed sanctions packages within 48 hours. Never before has the EU acted with such unity, determination and energy as it does now. Germany played its part in this." Before becoming head of the European Commission, von der Leyen served as Minister of Defense of Germany.

As part of the already adopted EU sanctions against Russia, restrictive measures affected the reserves and assets of the Central Bank, several Russian banks, including VTB and Otkritie, the EXPORT of technological products, the supply of aircraft and spare parts for them, as well as access to European financial markets. Personal sanctions, which include the freezing of assets and accounts, have affected businessmen, top managers of companies, officials and politicians, including President Vladimir Putin.

On April 11, the EU introduced the fifth package of sanctions, which included, among other things, a ban on the purchase, import or transit of coal and other solid fossil fuels from Russia. It will begin to operate in August, until that time the parties can fulfill contracts concluded before April 9.

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According to The New York Times, the European Union will begin to put forward specific proposals for an embargo on Russian oil after the end of the presidential elections in France (the second round of voting will take place on April 24). According to the sources of the newspaper, the leaders of the EU member states want to be sure that the increase in fuel prices in the country (in the event of an earlier embargo) will not play into the hands of the presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and will not prevent the current head of state Emmanuel Macron from being re-elected.