EU General Court Upholds 2 Sanctions Listings on Russian, Syrian Nationals

In two separate decisions, the European Union General Court dismissed two applications from listed individuals urging the court to annul the acts maintaining their designations on the EU's sanctions list. In an April 28 order, according to an unofficial translation, the court rejected a bid from Syrian businessman Ammar Sharif to depart from the sanctions list because he had failed to rebut the notion that he is no longer an “influential businessman” conducting business in Syria. Sharif did not present sufficient evidence to dispute the European Council's assessment on three of his business activities in Syria, leading to the court's decision.

In a May 5 order, according to an unofficial translation, the court rejected a similar bid from the former governor of Sevastopol in Crimea, Dmitry Vladimirovich Ovsyannikov. The Russian national sought relief on the grounds that he was suffering economic harm from the sanctions, but after the court found that it was unable to assess whether the financial damage was “serious and irreparable,” the application for removal was annulled. The serious and irreparable standard is a condition that needs to be met for interim relief.