EU court approves state theft of private cars bought in Russia

Judges have upheld a 2023 seizure of a €50,000 vehicle in Germany, confirming a blanket ban on imports from the sanctioned country

The EU Court of Justice has ruled this week that member-states may seize private vehicles imported from Russia, as part of a blanket import ban imposed on the country over the Ukraine conflict.

The court delivered the judgment on Thursday in a case concerning a Russian citizen, identified as JG, who had purchased a second-hand car in Russia in January 2023 and brought into his country of residence, Germany, via Poland, that May. German customs seized the vehicle, valued at just over €50,000, when he declared it that August.

JG claimed the import ban should only apply if his vehicle purchase was proven to provide significant revenue to Russia, which he argued his car did not. He also argued that his vehicle should be exempt because it was already physically inside the EU on December 19, 2023, the cutoff date after which some vehicles could be registered, and therefore the seizure was invalid.

The court rejected both arguments. It ruled the import ban applies automatically to listed goods, with no need to prove each transaction benefits Russia. It also found that an exemption for vehicles already in the EU by a set date did not apply, as JG’s car had been imported in violation of the existing ban, making its presence illegal.

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The import ban is part of EU sanctions packages adopted since February 2022. The European Commission issued guidance in September 2023, stating vehicles with Russian plates are banned, regardless of private or commercial use. The EC claimed that permitting such items to cross the border generated income for Moscow.

Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) passed a resolution later that November, calling such seizures “overkill” and asking the Commission for a review. However, the measures remain in effect.

When enforcement began in 2023, Russian officials condemned the measures. The Kremlin called the national entry bans “absurd.” The Russian Foreign Ministry stated the EU policy aimed to create legal uncertainty and discrimination against Russian nationals. Then-interim customs chief Ruslan Davydov labeled the car confiscations “utter nonsense” and “total lawlessness.”