Speech by Minister Veldkamp at the plenary session of the Sanctions Conference

Speech | 15-01-2025

Ladies and gentlemen,

It’s good to see you all here today. What a great start to the year!

Whether you travelled here by train from Belgium, or flew in from Italy, you all have one thing in common: you are all doing your utmost to ensure compliance with and enforcement of sanctions.

And in doing so, you are not just supporting the people of Ukraine. By protecting our shared security, our shared values and our shared way of life, you are doing a great service to your own country, to good governance, to the rule of law, and to the international legal order.

Sanctions are one of the most vital tools we have to bolster our resilience in unstable geopolitical times. Now and in the future. They enable us to weaken those who flout international law. They are our only means of ensuring that international norms are not sold off at bargain-basement prices. And they empower Europe to credibly say: we will not be pushed around. This is where we draw the line.

But only – and I stress, only – if sanctions are complied with and enforced. Failure to uphold sanctions puts us at a big disadvantage, jeopardising our credibility at a time when we can least afford to lose it. And that’s why we must all work together. Because sanctions evaders always look for the weakest link.

Geopolitical challenges can often seem abstract and enormous. Yet sometimes they can be strikingly tangible and surprisingly small. In fact, sometimes no larger than a fragment…

Like the ones on display here in the foyer. One of the fragments found recently, comes from a North Korean missile, fired by Russia at Ukraine.

But that missile wasn’t solely of North Korean origin. In the only subsystem to survive, forensic investigators discovered components from at least nine Western companies. The artefact itself is rare – most missiles are destroyed upon impact, as you may imagine. Its composition shows that, despite sanctions, components made by Ukraine’s allies are probably present in many of the missiles Russia fires.

And so, in the cold light of day, this fragment gives us a clear picture of the geopolitical era in which we live. It shows our enemies operating in a blended theatre of war.

At the same time, it also illustrates our own involuntary role in that theatre – not as spectators, but as unwilling participants, with our resources, our technology, and our progress being used against us and our values.

Indeed, this display highlights our vulnerability and the need for action. And not just beyond our borders, but also here in the Netherlands, where we have every reason to be proud of our open economy, yet also every reason to acknowledge and address the challenges that come with it.

Take the Port of Rotterdam, which brings great wealth to my country and to the rest of Europe, yet at the same time is also vulnerable to sanctions circumvention.

The same is true of the high-tech and financial sectors. We cannot allow our greatest strengths to be used against us. Vulnerability comes with responsibility.

That’s why we are holding this conference here today. And that’s why I plan to establish a Central Reporting Office for Sanctions. This will be the entry point for almost all reporting obligations concerning sanctions, including asset freezes and self-reporting requirements.

Reporting should not be a burden for the private sector. And so this office will aim to simplify reporting duties for private and public parties alike.

It will also provide a wealth of information, for example by identifying patterns when new sanctions are imposed. Here, we expect the whole to be greater than the sum of its parts. It should provide policymakers with relevant data for better-targeted sanctions, and support enforcement agencies in their investigations.

Today, we are focusing on these kinds of concrete actions that we can take together to tackle sanctions circumvention effectively. Because, while we are all taking responsibility when it comes to compliance and enforcement, the next step is to work together to share that responsibility. To take it to the next level. To make our sanctions system watertight and plug any new holes as quickly as possible.

This means collaborating seamlessly, learning from each other’s enforcement systems in Europe and building on each other’s strengths. We’ll be starting on that this afternoon, when we’ll be exchanging best practices.

It also means improving cooperation and sharing information between customs, tax authorities and intelligence services.

It means sharing examples of circumvention, not just to help the private sector understand the risks, but also to shape policy and close loopholes.

And finally, it means taking diplomatic action, grounded in the information we share, led by the EU Sanctions Envoy, and in close cooperation with our G7 partners when needed.

Today, I hope we can take steps towards this kind of teamwork and shared responsibility.

Ladies and gentlemen,

In 2022, Europe sent out two powerful signals of unity: First, in condemning Russia’s gross violation of international law. And second, in launching unprecedented sanctions packages.

Thanks to the sanctions we’ve imposed, Russia is now forced to rely on costly yet inferior and unreliable equipment, and long, vulnerable supply lines. As a consequence, it faces significant challenges in its war effort.

In 2025, we must show that same unity, by ensuring we enforce our sanctions together. Because every Western component found in these weapons is not just a stain on our own credibility. It’s an attack on us, made possible by us.

That’s why we cannot settle for eight, seven or six components in a missile. We can only settle for zero.

And so, our conversations today matter. Every exchange, every interaction and every shared effort builds on our collective strength.

Not simply against Russian aggression, but against the broader geopolitical challenges we face now and in the future.

Sanctions are the key tool not only to weaken our enemies but also to strengthen ourselves. They empower us to say ‘NO’ to attacks against us and our values. In a powerful, united and unequivocal voice. And to repeat it, over and over again.

Because sanctions are a matter of persistence: the longer you stand your ground, the greater the impact will be. And so, let the success of this tool for the future – our future – be our shared resolution for 2025.

It will certainly be mine.

Thank you.