As Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine enters its fifth year, the EU’s sanctions framework is facing a new stress test. A conflict in the Middle East, whose trajectory remains uncertain, is now intersecting with existing sanctions regimes and exposing the complexity of managing overlapping geopolitical crises.

Against this backdrop, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has warned that the EU can no longer rely solely on the traditional rules-based international system to safeguard its interests. Instead, the Union must “build its own path.”

This raises fundamental questions about the future of EU sanctions policy: What might a coherent EU sanctions doctrine look like? And how can sanctions compliance adapt to a world of overlapping geopolitical shocks?

Beyond policymaking and compliance, EU sanctions are also reshaping the landscape of international dispute resolution. They are increasingly driving litigation, arbitration, and complex cross-border disputes involving contracts, investments, enforcement actions, and jurisdictional challenges.

To unpack these developments and their implications for businesses and practitioners, the show welcomes Paschalis Paschalidis for an in-depth discussion on how EU sanctions are affecting transnational litigation and international arbitration.

00:00 - Overlapping geopolitical shocks and impact on EU sanctions

04:50 - Introducing Paschalis Paschalidis

07:59 - General impact of EU sanctions on the litigation and arbitration practice

08:55 - How do disputes about EU sanctions arise?

12:00 - Mapping sanctions-related claims

16:00 - Anti-suit and anti-anti-suit injunctions

20:08 - New attitudes towards litigation and arbitration

21:05 -The relationship between the EU legal order, sanctions, and arbitration

27:28 - Reviewing awards dealing with EU sanctions issues

29:13 - EU sanctions and investment-state arbitration

33:31 – Force majeure and sanctions clauses

 39:34 – Looking ahead: rules-based international order and dispute resolution

In episode 08 of the podcast, Jan Dunin-Wasowicz provides an update on January 2026 developments, focusing on the importance of readiness in adaptation. The show then welcomes Rūta Bajarūnaitė, Head of the Sanctions Policy Team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania. The conversation touches on the evolving landscape of EU sanctions in response to geopolitical crises, particularly focusing on the implications of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. A discussion on the past, present and future of EU sanctions law and policy from a Lithuanian perspective.

CHAPTERS

00:00 January 2026 Updates

03:29 Introducing Rūta Bajarūnaitė, the Lithuanian Framework for EU Sanctions Implementation and Current Priorities

08:03 Lessons from 2022 and Initial Responses to the Full-scale Invasion of Ukraine

19:44 Protecting the EU's External Borders

22:51 Tackling Circumvention of EU Sanctions

25:31 Exemptions & Enforcement

34:40 Interpretation - the Notion of Control

39:52 Compliance Expectations - the Example of Best Efforts

46:30 2026 Outlook

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In episode 07 of the podcast, Jan Dunin-Wasowicz provides an update on the EU's response to the U.S.-led peace proposal and implications for EU sanctions against Russia. The show then welcomes Celia Challet, Assistant Professor in Law and Public Policy at the Université Catholique de Lille to discuss the growing role of the Court of the Justice of the EU in interpreting EU sanctions through references for preliminary rulings.

CHAPTERS

0:00 Introduction

1:55 EU Responses to the U.S-led Pease Initiative and Implications for EU Sanctions

7:49 Introducing Celia Challet

9:01 EU Sanctions Litigation - Validity v. Interpretation

11:45 Basics of References for Preliminary Rulings

15:26 Examples of EU Sanctions Issues Raised (Rosneft, Afrasiabi)

18:54 The Court's Contribution to EU Sanctions

20:35 Examples of Practical Questions

26:24 Notions of Economic Resources, Ownership & Control

28:05 Jurisdictional Questions

31:01 Canons of Interpretation

40:48 Looking Ahead

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In episode 06 of the podcast, host Jan Dunin-Wasowicz discusses the proposed 19th package of EU sanctions against Russia and G7 developments, the reimposition by the EU of comprehensive sanctions against Iran, as well as the latest update to the EU Dual Use Regulation. The show then welcomes Marcin Lukowski, a Warsaw-based trade compliance expert, for a conversation on the legal framework for implementation and enforcement of sanctions and export controls in Poland.

0:00 Introduction

1:20 Russia Sanctions, Iran Snapback and Dual Use Regulation Updates

6:29 A Discussion with Marcin Lukowski on the Polish Sanctions Framework

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In episode 05 of the podcast, host Jan Dunin-Wasowicz discusses select summer 2025 developments in EU sanctions and export controls, focusing on the 18th package and the potential 19th package of EU sanctions against Russia. The show welcomes Ingrid Breit, Deputy Head of Unit within the Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers (DG JUST) at the European Commission, for a conversation on Directive (EU) 2024/1226 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 April 2024 on the definition of criminal offences and penalties for the violation of Union restrictive measures.

0:00 Introduction

1:12 18th Package, Iran Snapback, Israel Updates

3:50 A Discussion with Ingrid Breit on the EU Sanctions Directive

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Episode 04 of the podcast offers a mid-year review of key developments in EU sanctions, with a deep dive on the state of play of the Russia and Syria sanctions. The episode then discusses the increasingly complex relationship between EU sanctions and international arbitration, taking Case C-802/24 (Reibel v. Stankoimport) and the "no claims clause" as an example. 

0:00 Introduction

2:26 EU Russia Sanctions Status Update

11:40 EU Syria Sanctions Update

17:00 Sanctions Compliance & Enforcement Updates

18:20 EU Sanctions & Arbitration - Introducing Case C-802/24 (Reibel v. Stankoimport)

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In the third episode of the podcast, host Jan Dunin-Wasowicz discusses select April 2025 developments in EU sanctions and export controls, focusing on the potential renewed convergence between the EU and the US on Russia sanctions. The show welcomes Jan Lepeu of the European University Institute for a conversation on the history of EU sanctions and the growing role of the European Commission as an architect of EU foreign policy.

0:00 Introduction

1:11 April 2025 EU Sanctions & Export Control Updates

4:32 A Discussion with Jan Lepeu on the History of EU Sanctions

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In the second episode of the podcast, host Jan Dunin-Wasowicz discusses select March 2025 developments in EU sanctions, focusing on the growing divergence between the EU and the US on Russia sanctions. As the EU continues to expand its tools to incentivize compliance and target third party actors that support Russia's war effort, the show welcomes Jeff Nielsen and Gonzalo Saiz Erausquin to discuss an article published in the March 2025 weekend edition of EU Law Live and titled “Beyond the Secondary Sanctions Debate: The Rise of Ancillary Listings in EU Sanctions.”

0:00 Introduction

1:23 Spring 2025 Sanctions Update - Finding Leverage

09:00 Discussion with Jeff Nielsen and Gonzalo Saiz Erausquin on EU Ancillary Listings

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In the inaugural episode of the podcast, host Jan Dunin-Wasowicz discusses select February 2025 developments, focusing on the 16th package of EU sanctions against Russia and the continued expansion of the EU’s sanctions toolbox at a defining moment for the sanctions coalition. As companies may have to prepare for a world where EU sanctions become the key if not the dominant sanctions regime against Russia, the show welcomes Saskia Rietbroek, CSS, Executive Director and co-founder of the Association of Certified Sanctions Specialists, for a discussion about the evolving challenges facing the EU trade compliance community.

0:00 Introduction

1:07 16th Package Update

6:14 Discussion with Saskia Rietbroek on EU Trade Compliance

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