Explaining Agreements on EU Sanctions against Russia in 2022-23 : A Deliberative Perspective

Abstract: Following the invasion of Ukraine on the 24th of February 2022, the EU imposed new heavy sanctions on Russia as a response to their act of aggression. The first EU sanctions on Russia were imposed following their annexation of Crimea in 2014, and sanctions have been employed ever since. However, the EU response in 2022 differs significantly from 2014 in both scope and impact, and the EU’s capability to reach an agreement was a surprise for scholars and experts. Drawing from a deliberative perspective, the aim of this thesis is to explain the agreement on EU sanctions against Russia in 2022-23. By analysing the arguments presented by the EU member states, this paper will examine how a collective stance on sanctions was attained. The findings will conclude that rights-based norms linked to international law, in particular the principles of state sovereignty and self-determination, enabled the agreement. Yet, security concerns had an impact on the discourse on sanctions which underlines the importance of a sense of threat. However, the rights-based norms were inextricably intertwined with value-based norms that influenced and shaped the discourse on which the agreement was reached. The value-based norms were linked to a particular duty to Europe and moral obligations vis-á-vis Ukrainians. Hence, European solidarity and a sense of European identity encompassed the discourse and facilitated the EU’s collective action.