Businesses need to prove that goods are not from sanctioned producers – Lithuanian finmin

VILNIUS – As Belarusian fertilizer producers and intermediaries circumvent the existing EU sanctions, Lithuanian Finance Minister Gintare Skaiste says there's a proposal to change the current procedure and make companies importing products prove that they are not produced by a sanctioned company.

Moreover, she says, there's a proposal to amend the law and increase fines for legal entities and to give additional powers for the Customs to seize goods. 

According to the minister, it's impossible to predict and prevent all new attempts to bypass the sanctions, but it's necessary to improve the regulations.

"As the Customs sees that the flows of fertilizers continue, it has proposed some changes in the existing regulations, including making importers to prove that their goods are not produced by a sanctioned company, in this case Grodno Azot. And that would probably provide a bit more assurance that the goods are coming from third countries, no from the sanctioned Belarusian producer," Skaiste told journalists on Wednesday.

"An amendment has also been proposed to up fines for legal entities, and also to give more control to customs officers to seize goods," she said. 

According to the minister, the decision has also been made to boost the Customs' analytical capacity to analyze the flows that are on the move and to take preventive measures earlier.