EU economic sanctions on Russia likely to be adopted next week

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Proposed European Union sanctions on sectors of the Russian economy will not be adopted before next week, the European Commission said on Thursday. EU ambassadors were discussing Commission proposals to restrict Russian access to EU finance and defense and energy technology on Thursday. "That discussion is also due to continue next week. As and when the member states have decided ... how they want to proceed and exactly what they want to do, then at that stage the Commission ... will present legislative proposals," Commission spokesman Jonathan Todd told reporters. "Those legislative proposals would then have to be adopted by the appropriate procedures, by the member states, normally next week," he added. (Reporting by Adrian Croft; editing by Barbara Lewis)