EU 21st Russia Sanctions Package Faces Delay as France and Italy Push to Weaken Combatant Entry Ban

EU member states will seek agreement on the 21st Russia sanctions package at Coreper meetings on Wednesday and Friday this week, with the Irish Presidency pushing for adoption at the Foreign Affairs Council on July 13, according to European Pravda sources in Brussels 12. Several EU diplomats told European Pravda they are skeptical an agreement will be reached, saying that absent visible progress by Wednesday the bloc would fall back on approving the Russian oil price cap freeze separately on July 14, deferring the broader package to September 12. France and Italy are pushing to soften the proposed combatant entry ban from a binding visa restriction to a non-binding recommendation, arguing there is no clear mechanism to verify combat participation, with one diplomat telling European Pravda the provision will remain but as "more symbolic rather than creating a directly enforceable mechanism" 34. Other sticking points include proposed quotas on Russia's fishing industry and individual sanctions targeting Patriarch Kirill, objections raised by Bulgaria and joined by Italy 12. The Commission's plan requires adoption by July 15 to update the oil price cap, currently $44.1 per barrel and set to rise to roughly $75 under the existing formula absent action, with Greece, Malta, and Cyprus seeking to shorten any freeze from six months to three or four 12.