“We owe it to the Ukrainian people,” Habeck told media company Funke. He says Germany can learn from Denmark, which closely monitors cargo flows and customs data for irregularities. According to Habeck, for example, it involves examining a large consignment of goods that was actually destined for Russia, but is suddenly being delivered to another country. “This is a reason to take a closer look,” the minister said.
Trade flows
He argues that the German authorities should therefore pay more attention to trade flows in order to avoid circumvention of sanctions against Moscow. According to the minister, insufficient use is currently being made of the possibilities. “If this is applied in a more focused way, our authoritarian power can be strengthened.”
Due to the war in Ukraine, the West has imposed a variety of economic sanctions and trade restrictions on Russia. In late February, Habeck presented proposals to strengthen oversight of compliance with those sanctions. He says this is currently being discussed in Berlin and Germany’s European partners.