Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki calls for the introduction of a tax on imports.
Warsaw puts the Europeans under pressure on imports of Russian hydrocarbons. In the absence of an embargo, the Polish Prime Minister calls for the imposition of a tax. “I call on the European Commission today to establish a tax on Russian hydrocarbons so that trade and economic rules in the European single market work fairly”, pleaded Mateusz Morawiecki on Wednesday.
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Poland is leading the way. It has announced its intention to free itself from its dependence on Russian coal within two months, then oil and gas at the end of the year. The country imports about 20% of the coal it consumes, the vast majority from Russia.
For its Prime Minister, it is time to put an end to “this stupidity, this policy, bad and criminal”, of energy dependence on Russia, which provides it with the funds “to build an arsenal of war and be able to attack its neighbors”. He therefore intends to put his counterparts up against the wall to deprive Putin of “this instrument of blackmail, this instrument of war”.
Berlin and Vienna for an emergency plan
Not so fast, we reply in Germany. Refrain from gas or oil deliveries from Russia “overnight” would amount to “plunge our country and all of Europe into recession”, warned Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Faced with the risk of a cessation of Russian deliveries, Berlin and Vienna have adopted an emergency plan and a crisis cell to find alternatives and monitor the level of stocks. Moscow is due to present the new system on Thursday requiring payment in rubles for these deliveries.