# EU Removes Two People from Belarus Sanctions List > The EU has removed two people from its Belarus sanctions list. The change has applied directly in all Member States since 15 October 2026. Source: https://www.mtrlegal.com/en/eu-removes-two-people-from-belarus-sanctions-list/ · Language: en · Updated: 2026-10-27 --- ## Council Removes Two People from Belarus Sanctions List By [Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2313](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/./legal-content/AUTO/?uri=CELEX:32026R2313) of 13 October 2026, the Council of the European Union removed two entries from the list of natural persons in Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 765/2006. The amendment concerns restrictive measures in view of the situation in Belarus and the involvement of Belarus in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The Regulation was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 14 October 2026. It entered into force on the following day, is binding in its entirety and is directly applicable in every Member State. ## Content of the Implementing Regulation ### Legal Basis for the Amendment The Council based [the Implementing Regulation](https://www.mtrlegal.com/wiki/verordnung/) on the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union and Article 8a of Regulation (EC) No 765/2006. It was adopted on a proposal from the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. After assessing the relevant circumstances, the Council considered that the conditions for removing two entries from Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 765/2006 had been met. Article 1 of the Implementing Regulation refers to its Annex for the specific amendment. ### Entries Covered by the Removal The following entries were removed from Section A of Annex I, entitled “Natural persons referred to in Article 2(1)”: - The entry for “Mikail Safarbekovich GUTSERIEV”, listed under number 125, was removed. - The entry listed under number 258, concerning another listed private individual of Belarusian origin, was also removed. For the identification of the second person, the spelling used in the Official Journal is authoritative. The name is rendered in a different transliteration in the court documents. ## Judgments Concerning Gutseriev ### Judgment on the 2025 Renewal of the Listing The removal of Gutseriev’s entry was preceded by the [judgment of the General Court of the European Union](https://infocuria.curia.europa.eu/tabs/document/T/2025/T-0286-25-00000000RD-01-P-01/ARRET_NP/320708-EN-1-html) of 13 May 2026 (EuG, judgment of 13 May 2026 – T-286/25). The proceedings concerned Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/385 of 24 February 2025 and the related Implementing Regulation, insofar as those acts concerned Gutseriev. The General Court annulled the contested measures to that extent. According to the findings in paragraph 113, the Council had made an error of assessment in considering that, at the relevant time, the applicant could still be regarded as a person benefiting from and supporting the Lukashenko regime. The hearing took place on 2 March 2026. Previously, by a measure of organisation of procedure dated 31 October 2025, the General Court had invited the parties to submit observations on the consequences of the judgment in Case T-233/24. ### Earlier Judgment on the 2024 Renewal of the Listing In its judgment of 22 October 2025, the General Court had already annulled the 2024 renewal of the restrictive measures concerning Gutseriev (EuG, judgment of 22 October 2025 – T-233/24, EU:T:2025:975). The General Court found fault with the Council for failing to carry out an updated assessment of the applicant’s situation. By contrast, the General Court had dismissed an earlier action challenging the restrictive measures on 6 September 2023. The subsequent appeal was unsuccessful before the Court of Justice in May 2025. Those decisions concerned earlier legal acts and therefore do not preclude the subsequent annulment of the 2024 and 2025 renewals. ## Judgment Concerning the Private Individual ### Judgment in Case T-528/24 The removal of the second entry is connected with the General Court’s judgment of 22 April 2026 in the action brought against the Council concerning the private individual in question (EuG, judgment of 22 April 2026 – T-528/24). The proceedings concerned both the legal acts of 26 July 2024 by which the individual concerned had been included on the sanctions list and the renewal of the measures on 24 February 2025. The General Court annulled the legal acts concerning him. The different transliterations of the name do not alter the fact that Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/2313 removes exclusively the entry for the private individual concerned, listed under number 258 in the Official Journal, from Section A of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 765/2006. ## Direct Applicability of the Amendment The Implementing Regulation did not require transposition into national law. Since its entry into force on 15 October 2026, the amendment has applied directly in all Member States of the European Union. Its regulatory scope is limited to amending Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 765/2006. The Regulation makes no other changes to the Belarus sanctions regime. MTR Legal Rechtsanwälte advises companies, investors and high-net-worth individuals on matters of business law.