Call for closer monitoring: Swiss government urged to oversee sanctions

In its report published on Thursday, the parliamentary supervisory commission states that the Federal Council has appropriately adopted the EU's economic sanctions in connection with the war in Ukraine. However, it is more critical of how the implementation of the sanctions was accompanied and monitored in the specific case. Keystone / Peter Schneider

The federal government should monitor the implementation of economic sanctions more closely in the future. This is what the Senate Audit Commission is demanding after analysing, among other things, the Russia sanctions. It makes six recommendations to the Federal Council.

In its report published on Thursday, the parliamentary supervisory commission states that the Federal Council has appropriately adopted the EU’s economic sanctions in connection with the war in Ukraine. However, it is more critical of how the implementation of the sanctions was accompanied and monitored in the specific case.

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In the opinion of the Senate Audit Commission, the federal authorities clarified the cantons’ ambiguities regarding the implementation of the Russia sanctions too late. The Commission also regrets that the assets of the natural and legal persons affected by the sanctions could not be more closely monitored in the first months after the sanctions were imposed due to insufficient resources of State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco).

The Federal Council must take a position by mid-February.

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