The European Union should be open to re-evaluating the ban on Russian gas imports it is currently seeking to enforce if a peace deal is brokered between Russia and Ukraine, a top Austrian official has said.
As the EU seeks to end its dependency on Russian energy, the European Commission is set to propose this week a ban on new contracts for natural gas supply with Russia on the basis of trade law. This would need a majority vote approval instead of a unanimous EU call.
The phase-out of Russian energy imports is part of the EU’s roadmap to end dependency on Russian energy unveiled last month.
However, Austria’s State Secretary for Energy, Elisabeth Zehetner, told the Financial Times that the EU “must maintain the option to reassess the situation once the war has ended.”
Speaking ahead of a summit of EU energy ministers on Monday, Zehetner said, as carried by Reuters,
“It is clear already, that when the war is finally over, that is something that we should take into account in our evaluation of the situation then.”
At a closed-door meeting of the EU energy ministers, Zehetner reiterated Austria’s position that the ban needs to be reconsidered in case of a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, EU diplomats told Reuters, adding that no other country had asked the same.
The EU is currently looking to sidestep expected vetoes from Hungary and Slovakia on the proposed ban on Russian imports. So the European Commission is reportedly working to base the ban on trade law, which would require an approval from the majority of the countries, instead of a unanimous vote.
Yet, the EU will grant exemptions to Hungary and Slovakia to phase out current Russian gas contracts by 2027, officials familiar with the Commission’s plan told the Financial Times on Monday.
By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com
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