The new US sanctions law – Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act 2017 – is not
a legal monster threatening European interests. It stems from specific and legitimate concerns on
Capitol Hill about the threat to the integrity of US democratic institutions flowing from cyberattacks
by the Russian Federation and the behaviour of the current President. The law’s most
substantial legislative footprint merely codifies into law the Obama-era executive orders already
agreed with the European Union. On a more positive note, the sanctions law provides opportunities
for the US and the EU to cooperate to protect the West’s dem