French and German MPs demand stronger measures against Russia's shadow fleet

Members of parliament from Germany and France have put forward a joint initiative demanding more concrete steps against vessels belonging to Russia's shadow fleet.

Source: Deutsche Welle, a German international broadcaster and media outlet, as reported by European Pravda

Details: The draft document is due to be adopted on 22 June at a meeting of the Franco-German Parliamentary Assembly (DFPV).

The German and French MPs believe that stronger inspections and the detention of vessels are needed when existing legislation is breached. The draft also calls for additional diplomatic efforts targeting the states under whose flags shadow fleet vessels operate.

In Germany, this demand, addressed to both governments, is supported by MPs from the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union bloc (CDU/CSU), the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the Greens.

"The shadow fleet poses not only a geopolitical risk, but also a substantial risk to safety and the environment," the draft document states. Many of the tankers are old, poorly maintained and fail to meet international standards. In addition, certain vessels are used for sabotage or espionage.

"Russia's shadow fleet jeopardises not only the effectiveness of our sanctions, but also Europe's security and our critical infrastructure. We must respond to this together," said Jürgen Hardt, the CDU/CSU parliamentary group's foreign policy spokesperson in the Bundestag.

Anton Hofreiter, Green party politician and chair of the Bundestag's EU Affairs Committee, said: "The activity of Russia's shadow fleet provides a steady stream of revenue to the Russian treasury to finance the war against Ukraine and poses a security threat".

Background:

• On 16 June, the UK and Canada announced new sanctions against Russia, targeting Russia's shadow fleet of oil tankers primarily.
• Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump suggested on the sidelines of the summit that he might not extend exemptions to sanctions on Russian oil that have been introduced in response to global price increases caused by the Iran war.

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