TO SAFEGUARD against disruption of critical services by foreign companies citing sanctions in other jurisdictions, New Delhi is studying the European Union Blocking Statute, an anti-sanction law that EU countries take recourse to. Introduced by Brussels in 1996, it acts as a potential ‘shield’ for European companies against sanctions by third countries. A key trigger that raised concerns in the government was a sudden move by Microsoft last July to suspend IT services of Indo-Russian oil refining and marketing company Nayara Energy. There have also been discussions among concerned ministries about the dependence of Indian companies on vital digital infrastructure services provided by foreign companies. “The EU anti-sanctions law is among the options (being looked at). It does offer a template… There is a compelling need to have a mechanism in place and something like this(the EU anti-sanctions law) is among the options on the table,” a senior government official told The Indian Express .…