This article analyses the sanctions policy conducted by the European Union and names it one of the most frequently used instruments of its foreign policy. It also shortly encompasses the sanctions imposed to the third countries by the EU, putting a special emphasis on the restrictions to the states not subject to the United Nations sanctions. The article concludes that, despite the active usage of the sanctions instrument by the EU, they can be assessed as a political signal to a target country but without any concrete impact on its internal or external policies. A long list of sanctioned country over time corresponds to this conclusion. The article describes the Lithuanian policy in implementing the sanctions as well as states that there is no national legislation in Lithuania in order to impose unilateral sanctions.