BRUSSELS -- The ambassadors of the European Union member states decided on June 6 to prolong the bloc's investment ban against Crimea for another year, punishing Russia for its armed takeover of the Ukrainian region.
The measures include an EU-wide ban on imports from Crimea unless they have Ukrainian certificates; a prohibition of the purchase by EU companies of property and companies on the Black Sea peninsula; and a ban on cruise ships flying the flag of an EU member state or controlled by a member state to call at ports there. Goods and technology for the transport, telecommunications, and energy sectors cannot be exported to Crimean companies or for use in Crimea.
The sanctions were adopted in 2014 as a response to Russia's invasion and annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula, and have been extended on a yearly basis.
EU foreign ministers are likely to confirm the decision by the ambassadors when they meet in Luxembourg on June 19.
