Third-party companies used to bypass EU sanctions on Russian and Belarusian plywood

The European Commission recently issued an alert regarding a heightened risk of sanctions circumvention in the importation of plywood, with a particular focus on birch plywood, which is a major revenue source for both Russia and Belarus. According to the Commission, EU sanctions prohibit the purchase, import, or transfer of plywood and other wood products originating from or exported by Russia or Belarus. This includes services related to brokering, logistics, and warehousing. The alert also highlighted concerns that Russian and Belarusian producers are using third-party companies to repackage and relabel their plywood in order to bypass sanctions. These ...