In July 2014, as part of sanctions targeting Russia's banking, military and energy sectors, the United States and the European Union banned Western energy companies from supporting Rosneft's deep water and Arctic shelf exploration, and from supplying the company with equipment for hydrocarbon production.
Hage explained earlier that the legitimacy of the sanctions implementation by London depends on whether the restrictions comply with EU legislation, and if so, how they should be interpreted.
He also noted that the decision to forward the case directly to the EU court will significantly speed up its resolution – from three-and-a-half to one-and-a-half years.
Rosneft is one of the Russian companies targeted by Western sanctions. Its activities include hydrocarbon exploration and production, upstream offshore projects and hydrocarbon refining.
