EU ministers and officials have started to discuss a possible embargo, and although many EU members now support such a move, others continue to oppose a ban on Russian oil imports into Europe
Brussels, April 18 - Neftegaz.RU. A potential EU embargo on
Russian oil imports may be in the works, but drafting and preparing for such a ban would likely take «several months»,
AFP reported, quoting European officials.
The EU adopted a ban on imports of
Russian coal last week.
The embargo, however, will not go into effect until August 2022.
The delayed embargo will give EU member states time to find enough alternative supplies.
As discussions about the next sanctions package now focus on banning Russian oil, EU officials tell AFP that a potential embargo could be months away.
The official said:
- Adopting measures on oil means undoing existing contracts, finding alternatives and preventing circumvention
-
That can’t be don’t overnight. It requires at least several months
Some top EU officials, as well as many EU members, including the Baltic states and
Poland, have called for oil to be the next step in punishing Vladimir Putin for the military invasion in Ukraine.
Announcing the proposal to ban Russian coal, European Commission President Ursula
von der Leyen said in a speech last week:
- Yes, we have now banned coal, but now, we have to look into oil and we will have to look into the revenues that Russia gets from the fossil fuels
However, Europe is split on an immediate oil
embargo, with the biggest economy - Germany - not willing to go for it, for now, saying an oil ban would plunge Germany, and Europe, into a deep recession.
Last week, a German government spokesman reiterated
Germany’s position that it currently is against an EU ban on Russian oil.
Author:
Tsvetana Paraskova
