EUObserver: Belgium seeks unlimited guarantees from EU on Russian assets

Belgium wants to obtain unlimited financial guarantees from other European Union (EU) member states in case the bloc manages to reach agreements on the expropriation of frozen Russian assets, EUObserver reports.

According to the publication, Belgium is insisting on such guarantees in case it has to bear losses from the confiscation of assets. The authors of the report noted that a more realistic approach would be a limited package of guarantees that the EU could provide at its discretion.

In addition, Belgium wants non-EU countries holding frozen Russian assets on their territory to handle them in a similar manner. If agreements are reached, the expropriation of Russian assets would be carried out by the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Norway, and Switzerland.

The portal also reported that Belgian parliamentarians want all parties to prevent Prime Minister Bart De Wever from blocking attempts to expropriate Russian assets during a hearing of the Parliament’s Committee on European Affairs, scheduled for the morning of Thursday, 18 December.

By Vugar Khalilov