EU Court Overturns Withdrawal of Recognition for Russian Maritime Register
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On November 4, 2026, the General Court of the European Union issued a ruling in Case T-535/24 annulling the Council's decision to withdraw European recognition from the Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RMRS) as a recognized organization for ship inspection and certification. The Court found the measure disproportionate, although it upheld most of the sanctions imposed on the entity, including the investment ban and the transaction ban.
A state-owned register with decades of recognition
RMRS, founded in 1913 and headquartered in St. Petersburg, is a Russian state-owned non-profit organization that provides classification, inspection and certification services to Russian-flagged and foreign vessels, including icebreakers, ice-class ships and offshore oil and gas equipment. The European Union had recognized it since 1998, allowing member states to authorize it to carry out inspections and certifications on their behalf.
Sanctions accumulated since 2014
The first restrictions against RMRS were imposed in 2014 following the annexation of Crimea and were expanded after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, being extended in stages through July 31, 2026. These include the investment ban, the ban on transactions with the organization, the requirement for member states to revoke existing authorizations, and the withdrawal of EU recognition, in addition to the ban on access to EU ports and locks for vessels certified by RMRS.
The grounds of the ruling
The Court held that the Council had the authority to withdraw recognition under its Common Foreign and Security Policy, but found the measure disproportionate, since a suspension would have achieved the same objective without forcing RMRS to undergo an entirely new recognition procedure with no guarantee of approval should the sanctions be lifted. However, it dismissed as inadmissible the challenge against the port access ban, considering that this restriction directly affects vessels and only indirectly affects the register's legal standing.
Temporary validity and possibility of appeal
According to the Court, the effects of the annulled provision will temporarily remain in force for up to two months and ten days from the date of the ruling, meaning the decision does not immediately restore the register's previous operational status, and the ruling may be appealed within that same period. Yuri Shumilov, partner at the Brussels-based firm YS Advisors, which represented RMRS, stated that the ruling marks the first annulment of Russia-related restrictive measures on grounds of proportionality.
