The EU will widen its sanctions against Russia to include more individuals and may target the defence sector, Dutch foreign minister Frans Timmermans is quoted as saying following a meeting of EU ministers on Tuesday.

A new sanctions list will be drawn up by Thursday, Timmermans told reporters after the meeting, called to discuss the EU’s response to the MH17 plane disaster.

There is agreement the European Commission would look at further measures to be taken against Russia in the fields of defence, concerning ‘dual-use goods in the field of energy’, and in financial services, the BBC quoted him as saying.

Earlier, Timmermans told reporters ‘all options are open’.

Understanding 

The call to impose further economic sanctions on Russia was met with understanding and fortitude by some Dutch entrepreneurs while others, such as multi-national companies Shell and Philips, said they will abide by whatever sanctions are decided upon, Dutch media report.

The Telegraaf spoke to a number of entrepreneurs who will be directly hit by further economic sanctions if they are imposed.

Chairman Ad van Hamburg of Fenedex, which represents some 4,000 Dutch companies, is quoted as saying that ‘exporters understand that the Netherlands can’t take this horrendous attack lying down’.

‘After this, feeling has to take the upper hand, not economic interests. These entrepreneurs are creative and will find other sources of income. What has happened is simply too momentous. You don’t need to remain friendly at all costs,’ he said.

Flowers

The Dutch export of flowers to Russia is worth an annual €300m and revenue has already gone down by 9% in the last six months compared to last year, the paper writes.

According to Herman de Boon, chairman of the umbrella organisation of the wholesale trade in flowers and plants VGB, any sanctions will be born with ‘fortitude’. ‘We won’t be floored by this, we have several markets for our products. But for companies which are already struggling this will be a heavy blow.’

Employers’ organisation VNO-NCW, the organisation for small and medium-sized companies MKB-Nederland and the Dutch Federation of agricultural and horticultural organisations LTO do not wish to comment until the sanctions are made official, the Telegraaf reports.

The Telegraaf also spoke to Nicolaas Kraft van Ermel of the Netherlands- Russia Centre at Groningen university and energy firm Gasunie who urge caution: ‘You don’t want to go against your own interests,’ the paper quotes Kraft van Ermel as saying.

Hate mail

In the Volkskrant Kraft van Ermel is quoted as saying that this is the first time the centre, which promotes contacts between the two countries in the areas of business and art & culture, has been at the receiving end of hate mail.

Unknown posters also cited the name and address of president Putin’s daughter Maria who lives in the Netherlands on the centre’s Facebook page.

‘This is not an isolated case. We have seen anti-Russian comments on Twitter, Facebook and in the papers but this is the first time the centre has been involved. I’m surprised. Groningen university is about science. I think the posters are ordinary people who want to vent their emotions,’ the paper quotes him as saying.

The many Russian delicatessen shops in the Netherlands have not noticed a drop in business, the Volkskrant writes. ‘Only once someone came in and cried: it’s all your fault. But that was all and I wouldn’t expect anything else, after all I have been here for 25 years,’ the Volkskrant quotes a shopkeeper as saying.

Tourism

Fewer Dutch people are going on holiday to Russia but that trend had already set in, the paper says.

‘The recent events haven’t influenced the figures yet but the conflict in Ukraine and Russia’s anti-gay policy have resulted in a drop in tourism,’ marketing manager of SCR Culture Holidays is quoted as saying.

The Financieele Dagblad writes that Dutch and EU room for manoeuvre as far as sanctions go is limited and doubts further sanctions will be possible. ‘What will be decided on in Brussels is likely to be a reinforcement of earlier sanctions against individuals,’ the paper writes.

‘Many European countries are less strident in their demands for sanctions than Great Britain and the United States because they have more to lose.’

Last year, Dutch exports to Russia – mainly of machines, chemical products, dairy products, vegetables, fruit and flowers – reached €8bn. Russian imports of oil and gas came to €29bn, the paper writes.

German interests are even greater and some countries in Eastern Europe are completely dependent on Russian gas, the FD writes. ‘Europe will probably decide on an extension of the list of people and companies whose bank assets will be frozen. These people won’t be able to travel to the EU.’