Georgia has banned the export and re-export of cars from the European Union (EU) to the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus. This new regulation came into force on September 26 and is designed to cope with the export of cars to countries that are subject to EU sanctions. This was reported by Echo of the Caucasus, according to Yevropeiska Pravda.

This ban is part of the 11th EU sanctions package, which was approved in June to strengthen existing restrictions and prevent sanctions circumvention.

According to Georgia's statistics agency, re-exports of cars to Russia have dropped significantly since August. While in July, 1,054 cars worth more than $13 million were re-exported from Georgia to Russia, in August this number dropped to only 85 cars.

In the first half of this year, 4,840 cars worth $65.8 million were re-exported from Georgia to Russia.

Over the past two years, car re-exports have become one of Georgia's largest exports. In 2023, it amounted to $1.17 billion, accounting for almost 33% of total exports.

This new ban reflects the European Union's strategic approach to limiting economic ties with Russia and Belarus due to their actions in geopolitical conflicts and human rights violations.