A broad coalition of European Parliament members called on leaders of EU institutions to ban all Russian energy supplies to Europe, including pipeline gas and LNG, according to Euractiv.
The time for half-measures has passed.
The letter, initiated by green lawmaker Ville Niinistö of Finland, stated that the lawmakers “call on the European Commission to initiate and on member states to adopt without delay a total ban on Russian energy commodities in the EU market.” The letter, signed by lawmakers from several EU countries, is addressed to the bloc’s leaders as well as foreign and energy ministers.
Europe “remains the largest customer of Russian pipeline and LNG gas,” the lawmakers note, based on a January 2024 study by the Finnish non-profit organisation CREA. The researchers estimate that the EU has paid more than 13 billion euros for gas imports from Russia since the 2022 oil ban, imposed after the outbreak of war in Ukraine.
The European law was informally passed in December 2023 as part of the “hydrogen and decarbonised gas package,” which would give EU countries the right to decide how much Russian gas and LNG was allowed to enter their countries.
When the law comes into force, which could happen as early as mid-2024, each EU country will have to accept the decision. However, countries such as Hungary, Slovakia and Austria remain unable or reluctant to cut Russian gas flows.
