EU announces new sanctions office and crypto sanctions task force

9 November 2026

The European Commission has announced a new internal sanctions office and an informal crypto sanctions task force.

Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque announced both on 5 November 2026 at the 10th meeting of the High-Level Group on Union Restrictive Measures. The group brings together senior sanctions officials from the Member States and EU institutions.

The sanctions office will sit inside the Commission. Commission spokesperson Siobhan McGarry said it will cover the full lifecycle of economic sanctions, from policy design to implementation and countering circumvention. It will give Member States faster access to guidance, shared data, and economic and technical analysis. It also aims to make implementation and enforcement more consistent across the EU. The Commission has not yet published details of its structure, staffing or start date.

The EU Crypto Sanctions Task Force will bring together experts from the Commission and the Member States. It will work to detect and tackle attempts to use crypto assets to circumvent EU financial sanctions.