Spain's EU sanctions bill against Russia remains blocked in Congress

A bill proposed by the government of Pedro Sánchez to transpose European Union sanctions against Russia into Spanish law has remained blocked in the Congress of Deputies for one year. The Organic Law Project aims to implement Directive 2024/1226, which defines crimes and penalties for violating EU restrictive measures.

If passed, the law would empower security forces and judges to prosecute individuals, companies, or institutions that bypass EU sanctions within Spanish territory. The proposed legal framework includes amending the Penal Code to create a new category of crimes for violating EU restrictive measures and increasing penalties for money laundering when the funds result from breaching community sanctions.

Experts in hybrid warfare and Kremlin-linked disinformation suggest that the increasing frequency of such attacks makes the implementation of this legal text more urgent. The current draft proposes prison sentences of two to six years and fines ranging from one to six times the value of the illicitly obtained assets.