To combat the EU’s energy dependence on Russia, the European Commission has taken steps to do without Russian gas and oil in the medium term. After refusing payment for Russian gas in roubles, the European body submitted a draft oil embargo on Tuesday, May 3 to member countries.
On March 31, Vladimir Putin announced the suspension of Russian gas deliveries to “unfriendly” countries that do not pay in rubles. The Russian president carried out his threat by cutting off the supply of this resource to Poland and Bulgaria.
In reaction to these coercive measures, the European Commission decided to reject the Russian ultimatum during an exceptional meeting of European Ministers in charge of Climate. This request by the Russian head of state represented “a unilateral and unjustified modification of the contracts and it is legitimate to reject it”, according to the European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson.
While a short-term solution is possible, Kadri Simson stressed the importance of finding an alternative source of viable and sustainable supply. “There are no immediate risks to supplies. But we will not be able to replace the 150 billion m3 of gas purchased from Russia by other sources. It is not tenable. We can manage the replacement of two-thirds of Russian gas supplies,” explained the Commissioner from Estonia.
To compensate for the heavy loss of the Russian supplier for the EU, European ministers have bet on other alternatives. “Europe must get rid of its dependence on Russian fossil fuels. Our reserves will be at 100% capacity for this winter. American liquefied natural gas has started to arrive via Lithuania and we are going to get gas from Norway via Denmark,” said Polish Climate and Environment Minister Anna Moskwa.
Deliveries of Russian gas to EU countries fell by almost 27% between January and April compared to the same period in 2021 according to a statement published by Gazprom on Sunday.
An oil embargo project
A proposal for a gradual oil embargo against Russia has been submitted by EU climate ministers to restrict indirect funding of the Kremlin-led war in Ukraine.
“We are working on a new sanctions package. A meeting of the college (all the commissioners, editor’s note) will be held on Tuesday in Strasbourg and President Ursula von der Leyen will specify what has been decided, ”detailed Kadri Simson on the sidelines of the session in Parliament on Tuesday.
If the proposal is adopted on Wednesday, a gradual halt in EU purchases of petroleum products from Russia will be spread over six to eight months. On the other hand, a tax on the transport of tankers, ie tankers transporting oil, will be immediately introduced in the event of an agreement.
For a few weeks, the EU has already imposed an embargo on Russian coal and closed its ports to Russian ships, with the exception of the transport of hydrocarbons.