The Shadow of Sanctions on Contracts

A valid contract is binding upon the parties. This statement serves as the cornerstone of contract law worldwide. However, it does not imply that there are no situations in which parties can legally terminate, suspend, or refuse to fulfill their contractual obligations for legal reasons. Typically, these reasons can be anticipated ex-ante in applicable law or in the contract itself. How about newly introduced sanctions? Can they provide a green light for parties to refrain from undertaking their contractual obligations?

Has the EU entered the era of extraterritorial sanctions?

With the recent adoption of the EU’s 13th sanctions package against Russia, we sought insights from our senior legal officers at Wiacon, Negin Ajam and Nasim Zargarinezhad.

The EU’s decision to sanction Chinese firms, among others, aims to disrupt the supply chain of vital drone components to Russia, especially given the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.