“I know that there are some reasons in the past for this type of access to nationality, but we have seen so many problems with some Russian people, and some that are on the sanctions list, that we need to try to stop this”, he stressed in an interview with Diário de Notícias, in reference to the nationalisation of descendants of Sephardic Jews. In addition to nationality, access to golden visas is also seen as a problem, with the commissioner adding that they will continue to “discuss the possibility of stopping the process”.

Didier Reynders added that it was possible, “with the support of Portugal” in a discussion at the Council of Europe, to expand the list of war crimes and thus “go to court to confiscate Russian assets”. The commissioner points out that, in this context, Portugal “frozen 25 million euros of Russian assets”.