With the first anniversary of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine approaching next week (24 February), President von der Leyen has announced proposals for a tenth package of sanctions against Russia. The package includes another €11 billion in export bans targeting key goods, as well as further restrictions on dual-use goods which means all tech products that are found on the battlefield will now be banned. For the first time ever, third country entities will be added to the Russia dual-use sanctions, starting with seven Iranian entities that have provided drones to attack civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. The EU also continued its efforts, this week, to channel emergency assistance to Syria and Türkiye in the aftermath of last week's earthquake. The other main news story this week was the publication of the Winter Economic Forecast which indicates that the EU economy entered 2023 on a better footing than projected last Autumn. Ireland's real GDP growth for 2023 has been revised upwards to 4.9%.