The General Court of the European Union on 4 November rejected most of the claims of the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RMRS), which sought to challenge European sanctions. As a result, the ban on vessels certified by the Russian organisation entering EU ports and locks remains in force. However, the court found one of the restrictive measures excessive and annulled it.
EUobserver reports this, citing the General Court's ruling of 4 November in case T-535/24.
The court deemed inadmissible the Russian register's demand to lift the ban on access for certified vessels to European ports and locks. The ruling notes that the restrictions directly affect vessels, while only indirectly influencing the organisation's legal position.
Thus, the court did not examine the legality of the port ban on its merits, nor did it annul it. The restrictions remain in effect.
The Russian Maritime Register of Shipping handles classification, technical surveys, and certification of seagoing vessels. The organisation is based in St. Petersburg and wholly owned by the Russian state.
According to the court, the register classified 4,207 vessels, of which 3,772 sail under the Russian flag. Among the vessels it serves are icebreakers, oil tankers, cargo ships, and fishing vessels.
Court annuls part of sanctions against Russian register
Despite the key restrictions being upheld, the Russian organisation succeeded in obtaining partial satisfaction of its claim.
The court annulled the EU Council's decision to fully withdraw recognition of the Russian Maritime Register as an organisation authorised to conduct inspections and certification of vessels.
The register received such recognition at the European level back in 1998. It allowed EU member states to authorise the organisation to carry out inspections and surveys of vessels flying their flags.
After Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU Council listed the register under sanctions, prohibited investments and financial and economic dealings with it, and also revoked its European recognition.
When examining the case, the court concluded that the definitive withdrawal of recognition was disproportionate. According to the judges, temporarily suspending the recognition would have been enough to achieve the sanctions goals.
The difference has legal significance: after the sanctions are lifted, a temporarily suspended recognition can be restored, whereas a full withdrawal would force the organisation to undergo the recognition procedure again with no guarantee of a positive outcome.
At the same time, the court confirmed the EU Council's right to apply restrictive measures within the framework of the common foreign and security policy to exert pressure on Russia to end its aggression against Ukraine.
Most restrictions on Russian shipping upheld
The EU General Court also declined to annul investment restrictions and the ban on dealings with the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping.
Thus, the ruling does not mean the restoration of the organisation's full operations in the European market. The ban on access for certified vessels to EU ports and locks remains in force, and financial restrictions remain in effect.
The ruling comes amid European states' concerns over the security of maritime infrastructure. EUobserver notes that in recent months there have been reports of suspicious activity by Russian vessels near undersea cables and other strategically important facilities in the Baltic Sea and North Atlantic. Such reports alone do not establish that specific vessels were involved in damaging infrastructure.
According to the official press release of the EU Court of Justice, the General Court's decision may be appealed within two months and ten days after it is notified to the parties. Appeals are possible only on points of law.
