The document, adopted Thursday and coming into force on the date of publication, does not introduce any serious changes to the EU sanctions regime but specifies the implementation of several given restrictions. For instance, it allows EU member states to supply oil production equipment to Russia in case of a disaster.
"An authorisation may be granted where the sale, supply, transfer or export of the items or the provision of the services … is necessary for the urgent prevention or mitigation of an event likely to have a serious and significant impact on human health and safety or the environment," the document said.
The EU regulation also eases restrictions on fulfilling the obligations under equipment supply contracts concluded before August 1, 2014.
The other EU restrictions on oil production ban not only the sales but also the use of the European equipment anywhere in Russia "including its Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf."
During the past few months, the European Union, the United States and their allies have introduced several rounds of sanctions against Russia accusing it of meddling in the Ukrainian internal affairs, which Moscow has repeatedly denied.
From August 1, the United States and the European Union prohibited deliveries of equipment for deep water exploration and oil extraction to Russian companies. In September the sanctions were further tightened, and providing services for such projects was also prohibited.
