European Court of Justice upholds sanctions against Klaipėda terminal linked to Biełaruśkali

December 18, Pozirk. The European Court of Justice ruled on December 6 to dismiss a lawsuit by Klaipėda-based Birių Krovinių Terminalas (BKT) against the Council of the European Union, its website says.

The BKT delayed filing its lawsuit by one day, the court said ordering it to cover the litigation fees.

Over the past few years, the Western countries imposed sectoral sanctions on the Belarusian authorities for human rights abuses and their complicity in Russia’s war on Ukraine.

In February, the EU Council extended its sanctions and banned the transit of potash fertilizers from Belarus through the EU. The BKT, in which the Belarusian potash giant Biełaruśkali holds a 30-percent stake, challenged the sanctions in court.

In November, Biełaruśkali reportedly started arbitration proceedings against Lithuania accusing its government of interfering with cargo transportation and claiming about €1 billion in damages. Biełaruśkali also said that Lithuania violated the 1999 agreement on investment protection.

The EU, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada imposed sanctions on Biełaruśkalij in 2021.

In January 2022, the Norwegian chemical company Yara suspended cooperation with the company citing Western sanctions.

In February 2022, Lithuanian Railways stopped transporting Belarusian potash to the Port of Klaipėda.