Brussels, 16 September 2025 — EU ambassadors have removed discussion of the bloc’s planned 19th package of sanctions against Russia from their agenda this week, with no alternative date scheduled, according to diplomats.
The item had been slated for a meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) on Wednesday. One diplomat said the point was withdrawn late on Tuesday and that “no new date is planned”.
COREPER, which brings together the member states’ permanent representatives in Brussels, prepares the Council of the EU’s work and clears dossiers for ministerial decision. In sanctions files, it serves as a key stage for reconciling national positions before proposals go to ministers for adoption.
No reason was given for the delay. Under the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy, sanctions decisions require unanimity in the Council, meaning any one member state can withhold agreement and thereby postpone adoption while discussions continue. The Council’s own guidance notes that sanctions acts are adopted unanimously after examination by preparatory bodies, including COREPER II.
The European Commission has been working for weeks on the 19th package, which diplomats have said could extend listings to additional Russian banks and vessels linked to the so-called “shadow fleet”, and to entities in third countries suspected of facilitating sanctions circumvention. Recent reporting has also indicated consideration of further measures touching the oil trade, including restrictions affecting traders and middlemen outside the EU.
Any new package would follow the 18th round of EU measures adopted in mid-July. That set focused on five areas: reducing Russia’s energy revenues; tightening restrictions on banking; further constraining the military-industrial base; strengthening anti-circumvention tools; and accountability measures related to the unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children and damage to cultural heritage. The July decisions also expanded listings against individuals and entities and added further vessels to the EU’s list targeting Russia’s oil “shadow fleet”.
Alongside those sectoral steps, the Council has continued to update designations under existing regimes. On 12 September, the EU extended restrictive measures on individuals linked to Russia’s war against Ukraine, maintaining asset freezes and travel bans under the framework first launched in 2014 and expanded after the full-scale invasion in 2022. These roll-overs and additions occur periodically and are separate from, though complementary to, the broader “package” negotiations.
Commission and Council officials have also highlighted the enforcement dimension. In parallel to sanctions packages, the EU has advanced export-control actions and anti-circumvention measures aimed at preventing the re-routing of sensitive goods and at tightening compliance across the bloc. According to the Commission’s July communication on the 18th package, enforcement against evasion and better coordination among national authorities are core pillars of the current approach.
The paused COREPER discussion means ambassadors will not take up the 19th package on Wednesday, 17 September, as previously envisaged. The Council’s timeline of measures shows that sanctions dossiers continue to evolve through frequent technical meetings before political agreement is reached. The Council has not announced when the file will return to the agenda.
While there is no formal explanation for the latest delay, the unanimity requirement and the breadth of files under consideration typically necessitate further consultations among capitals. When consensus emerges at ambassadorial level, the package can move swiftly to formal adoption by ministers and publication in the Official Journal. Until then, the Commission’s draft remains under negotiation.
For now, the Commission and EU capitals maintain that sanctions remain a central instrument of the Union’s response to Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine. The 19th package, once agreed, is expected to continue the recent emphasis on enforcement, anti-circumvention and pressure on revenue streams, while expanding listings of individuals and entities involved in sustaining Russia’s war effort or evading existing measures.
