common sense is needed during the customs inspection of Russians

After the publication, the representative of the European Commission explained the agency’s impossibility of importing certain goods from Russia into the EU, and stated that the customs authorities of the EU countries should be guided by “common sense”, in particular, in relation to the personal belongings of Russian citizens entering the EU.

As the representative of the European Commission, Daniel Ferri, said in response to a question from a Deutsche Welle correspondent, the authorities of the European Union countries, whose actions are the responsibility of the customs authorities, must take into account the circumstances when making a decision to confiscate items subject to the import ban from citizens of Russia. In particular, a person who crosses the border in clothes subject to restrictions “hardly intends to circumvent the sanctions” and, accordingly, he will not be asked to undress at the customs office and give the clothes to the customs officials. Whether this exception applies, for example, to cosmetics, mobile phones or laptops, the import of which is also prohibited in the EU, the representative of the European Commission did not say directly.

At the same time, Ferry confirmed that entering the EU countries on cars registered in Russia can be considered a prohibited import. It was about cars that was directly mentioned in the explanation of the European Commission dated September 8. According to Ferra, the situation with the personal belongings of Russians is different from the situation with an “expensive car”, and this “is taken into account when applying sanctions by EU member states.” He did not specify whether cheap cars will be confiscated at the border.

Back in July, Radio Liberty reported on the cases of cars with Russian license plates being seized by customs in Germany and the fact that, theoretically, customs can also confiscate other goods imported by Russians, including cosmetics, suitcases, laptops and mobile phones, toilet paper, shampoos, toothpastes and so on. At the same time, unlike cars, cases of arrest or confiscation of personal belongings of Russians were not reported to the customs of EU countries.

The European Commission’s explanations provoked a violent reaction in the pro-Kremlin Russian mass media, which accuse the EU of racism. Former President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev wrote that Russians in the EU are treated as “balls” (a dog turned into a human from the novel by Mikhail Bulgakov – RS), and suggested withdrawing Russian diplomats from the European Union.