The EU’s approach must be understood not as an attempt to seize these assets, but as an effort to achieve similar economic effects while remaining within these legal limits.
Documents: 📂 Source Document
Designing Sanctions
How International Law Shapes the EU’s Use of Russian Central Bank Reserves
Key Insights
To what extent does international law constrain the EU's use of Russian central bank reserves? This article argues that sovereign immunity and the limits of countermeasures not only restrict the EU's action but directly shape its sanctions design. It concludes that outright seizure of assets would likely be unlawful, and that any financial sanctions must be designed around the limits of international law.
Cite this brief
Strobel, M. (2026). Designing Sanctions. EPIS Insight · International Economic Relations.