Sanctions Connect

The EU Blocking Statute prohibits EU organisations from complying with certain sanctions imposed by the U.S. against Cuba and Iran, often forcing them to choose to comply with either the U.S. sanctions or the EU Blocking Statute.

Whereas the Blocking Statute has until now proven of limited efficacy, due to the recent case law and upcoming reforms, the Blocking Statute is now expected to gain new strength, and businesses should stand ready to adapt their compliance efforts to the new framework and use elaborate strategies to resolve possible conflict-of-law situations where risks under extraterritorial sanctions clash with the requirements under the EU Blocking Statute (or upcoming new tools).

In this Sanctions Connect Call, we will discuss the EU Blocking Statute and how it affects EU organisations.

About Sanctions Connect Calls:

SanctionsConnect is an opportunity for ACSS members to join a discussion with industry experts on a monthly hot sanctions topic.

The Call is conducted by an expert in the field who sets the stage and then invites participants to contribute to the conversation.

About Sanctions Connect Calls:

• Every last Friday of the month
• It is a members-only, intimate conversation that enriches your connections and knowledge of specific sanctions topics.
• Chatham house rules apply.
• SanctionsConnect calls are NOT recorded, so attend live!
• A maximum of 50 participants can attend the call. First come first served.

Sebastiaan is a specialist in the field of economic sanctions and export controls. Sebastiaan’s practice focuses on all aspects of international trade law and related issues, such as anti-moneylaundering and anti-terrorism financing legislation, anti-corruption regulations, and other compliance-related regulations.

Sebastiaan regularly advises and represents clients subject to investigation and enforcement proceedings. Sebastiaan, moreover, has vast experience in the setting up, the enhancement of and the keeping effective of corporate compliance programmes, especially in the fields of economic sanctions, export controls and anti-corruption, for companies active in and outside the Netherlands.

Alexander Witt is a Sanctions & Export Control Consultant for the Association of Certified Sanctions Specialists (ACSS). He is an expert in EU, US, and German Sanctions and Export Control Laws and Regulations. Previously Alexander worked as a Sanctions & Export Control Consultant at Full Circle Compliance and as an Export Compliance Officer at Fujifilm Europe in the Netherlands.