Centralised enforcement is needed to make EU sanctions stick

Trade between the European Union and Russia dropped by more than 75 percent between 2022 and 2025, demonstrating the massive collective clout of the single market. Yet a new report from the European Court of Auditors warns that inconsistent enforcement and unclear rules across member states continue to limit the overall effectiveness of these trade restrictions.

Member states understandably prefer to retain jurisdiction over domestic customs checks and legal prosecutions, arguing that national authorities are best placed to monitor their own borders and businesses.

However, a single market with 27 distinct customs approaches creates structural vulnerabilities. When national agencies interpret sanctions differently or lack equal resources to investigate violations, trade flows simply reroute through the paths of least resistance. Economic sanctions only deliver their full impact when enforced with uniform precision across the entire union.

Closing these gaps does not mean discarding national customs offices. Instead, Europe can establish a central EU enforcement mechanism to oversee compliance, harmonise rules, and close backdoors. By moving from fragmented national oversight to pooled enforcement, the union can ensure its economic measures carry real weight.