Switzerland bans coal imports from Russia following EU

BERLIN. April 27 (Interfax) - Swiss authorities are imposing a ban on coal imports from Russia following a similar decision by the European Union, the Swiss Federal Council said in a statement.

"The new measures include far-reaching sanctions on goods, including a ban on imports of lignite and coal as well as on goods that are important sources of revenue for Russia (e.g. timber, cement, seafood, caviar)," the statement said.

"In addition, there are export bans on goods that can help strengthen Russia's industrial capacities (e.g. industrial robots or certain chemical products)," the document said.

"Any support to Russian entities in public ownership or under public control will be prohibited," it said. Besides, Russian citizens can no longer register trusts in Switzerland.

Switzerland has now implemented most of the new EU restrictive measures against Russia, but this excludes the EU bans concerning the award of public contracts to Russian nationals and organizations or entities established in Russia.

The bans on the export of banknotes and the sale of securities to Belarusian citizens are extended to all official currencies of the EU countries. Until now, only securities and banknotes in Swiss francs and in euros were affected. Switzerland is planning to impose the same ban on Russia.

The new restrictive measures will come into effect at 6 p.m. local time on April 27.

The Swiss authorities said that the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research had already updated the sanctions list on April 13 due to the situation in Ukraine, adding over 200 individuals and entities to it.