President of the European Council Charles Michel advocates the confiscation of the assets of Russians who are under sanctions, with the aim of further use to repair the damage caused by Russia in the war it is waging against Ukraine.
This position was first voiced by the president in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
“Personally, I am absolutely convinced that it is extremely important not only to freeze assets, but also to make it possible to confiscate them, to make them available for the reconstruction of the country. This is my personal conviction,” said Michel.
At the same time, he stated, referring to the professional experience of working as a lawyer, that “the legal level of this issue is not so simple.” “There are 27 legal systems in the EU and in many EU member states this will require a court decision. It is a difficult and long process,” said the President of the European Council.
In this regard, Michel said that he had already instructed the legal service of the Council to prepare “some possible ideas to find a legal solution in accordance with the principles of the rule of law, which would facilitate and make it possible to confiscate the assets of people who are under sanctions by the EU or other countries of the world.”
“In my opinion, it is a matter of fairness, not only to freeze assets, but also to confiscate them in order to make this money available to the Ukrainian authorities…, especially for the reconstruction of the country. It’s a matter of fairness,” he said.
Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine Serhiy Shkarlet says that about 24,000 Ukrainian teachers have moved abroad because of the war.
“As of today, approximately 24,000 teachers who left the territory of Ukraine have become registered,” Shkarlet said on national telethon Wednesday afternoon.
The minister also reported statistics he received from Poland’s education minister.
In particular, 40,000 Ukrainian children have already been enrolled in kindergartens in Poland, 140,000 in elementary school, 20,000 in high school and 500 students.
“But 40% of all children are taught in Ukrainian-speaking classes, particularly in Poland,” said the Minister.
Volunteers donated more than 5,000 units of medical equipment to Ukrainian hospitals, the press service of the Ministry of Health reported on Wednesday.
At the same time, it is specified that in March-April volunteer organizations for medical institutions transferred 5234 units of medical equipment, 7.9 million units. medicines, 58.2 thousand units. consumables, 1.27 million units. other medical support.
The European Union proposes to ban real estate transactions in the territory of the union with citizens, residents and legal entities of the Russian Federation within the framework of new sanctions against Russia, Bloomberg reports with reference to a document on the planned sanctions.
“The proposal of the European Commission provides for the termination of real estate transactions with Russian citizens, residents and legal entities, prohibiting the sale or transfer, directly or indirectly, of “ownership rights in real estate located in the territory of the Union, or shares in collective investment enterprises providing access to such real estate,” the agency writes.
The proposed ban applies to Russians who are not EU citizens and do not have a residence permit in the union countries. The measure does not apply to those who have citizenship or a residence permit in the European Economic Area or Switzerland.
Bloomberg notes that the measure itself will come into force if the corresponding proposal is approved by EU member states this week.
Earlier on Wednesday, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said that among other sanctions proposed by the European Commission are the disconnection of three Russian banks, including Sberbank, from the SWIFT international payment system, a ban on broadcasting in the EU of three major state-owned Russian television channels, as well as a ban on providing Russian companies of services of a number of European specialists. In addition, the EC is proposing a phase-out of Russian oil imports, which von der Leyen said should take six months and be completed by the end of 2022.
The European Commission will soon submit a report on the readiness of Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia to join the European Union, European Council President Charles Michel said.
“We discussed in detail the issues of EU enlargement a few months ago, at the conference in Versailles. After that, three countries applied for accession. We made a decision very quickly, instructing the European Commission to carry out work and prepare reports on these countries. We made a decision in a few days, although it usually took 8-9 months. By the end of June, the European Commission will publish this report, and we will decide how to proceed further,” Michel said at a joint press conference with Moldovan President Maia Sandu during a visit to Chisinau.
He stressed that the EU will continue to act promptly.
“We will act immediately to strengthen ties with Moldova, Ukraine and Georgia, to support them in the current difficult situation. This will be a political process in the context of how we see the development of the European Union. In the next two months, we will give a clear signal of what we want to enlarge the European Union,” the President of the European Council said.
For her part, Moldovan President Maia Sandu stressed that “European integration is the choice of the country, the choice of the people.” “On April 22, we submitted to Brussels the first part of our responses to the European Commission’s questionnaire. In the near future we will also pass on the second part. We understand that integration into the EU is a long process, we are not looking for short and easy ways. We intend to continue reforms. Most importantly – peace is needed for this, everything must be done to restore peace,” Sandu stressed.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on international business to provide direct aid to Ukraine through the instrument of war bonds or accounts in the National Bank.
“Many of your board member companies have made contributions to UNICEF, the Red Cross and other international organizations,” he said, speaking at the Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit Tuesday night.
“I am grateful for this, but unfortunately, most of these funds have not reached Ukrainian citizens and our state. We need direct aid through the instrument of war bonds or to an account in our Central Bank, through which we help our citizens,” he said, adding, “By helping us, you are helping yourself, because this aid is provided for the sake of stability and freedom.”
Zelensky also urged businesses to open representative offices, subdivisions, production facilities, companies, offices, and branches in Ukraine. “In our country you will get access not only to our market, but also to the market of the European Union,” the head of state said. He reminded that Ukraine had already received a decision from the EU that all duties for Ukrainian exports to the EU would be removed.
