04/06/2022 09:59 (act 04/06/2022 12:06)
EU Council President Charles Michel believes there is no way to avoid Russia’s gas import ban ©AP
A halt to imports of Russian oil and, ultimately, gas as well will be necessary to end Moscow’s war of aggression against Ukraine – EU Council President Charles Michel said on Wednesday.
A halt to imports of Russian oil and, ultimately, also gas is inevitable to end Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. “I think sooner or later measures will also be needed for oil and even gas,” Michel told the European Parliament on Wednesday. Environment and Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler (Greens) reiterated Austria’s position against a gas embargo.
Von der Leyen threatens coal import ban and oil embargo
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has threatened not only a coal import ban but also an oil embargo against Russia. In light of the Commission’s proposed ban on Russian coal imports on Tuesday, von der Leyen told the EU Parliament: “These sanctions will not be our last sanctions.” She added: “Now we have to look at oil and the revenues Russia gets from fossil fuels.”
Gewessler: “Austria cannot do without Russian gas”
Energy Minister Gewessler confirmed in the press lounge after the Council of Ministers that Austria could not and would not do without Russian gas. “We are dependent on Russian gas imports, we are not alone in Europe, but we are in a particularly difficult situation.” Austria has done very little in the past to reduce this dependence. “On the contrary, we made a good living from it. (…) Today we are dependent and vulnerable. We cannot end this dependence overnight”, says Gewessler. But that’s the mission: “We have to become independent, not at some point, but as soon as possible, we have to produce our own energy.” The sun and the wind “don’t send us bills and don’t blackmail us, Russia already does”. Every wind turbine and every solar system frees us from the clutches of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The energy transition is not just about the climate, but also about our freedom, said the minister.
On the other hand, Gewessler’s party colleague Michel Reimon stressed that “a complete gas stop must be the objective”. In a broadcast, the green member of the National Council highlighted that the sanctions are a “long-distance race” in which “Putin has to run out of breath, not the EU”. “Austria must learn from past mistakes and radically reduce its dependence on gas and oil. Nobody can stop that. Every domestic political step here has an impact on foreign policy.”
Schieder: “Russian gas output must follow”
The head of the SPÖ-EU delegation, Andreas Schieder, also calls for the tightening of sanctions: “, he said in a broadcast. “But EU states are exposed very differently, more actions must be structured and coordinated with a cool head . We cannot remedy the strategic mistakes of the last few decades in a few days. Sustainable autonomy can only be achieved in Europe by completely eliminating fossil fuels.”
“We have to do much more, much faster, to switch to renewable energy,” demanded Schieder. In addition to new sanctions, it is also important to close existing loopholes. “There are still big national differences in the implementation of sanctions. Austria, for example, is still too hesitant to take action against oligarchic assets compared to France or Italy. The diamond trade is flourishing, we continue to source uranium from Russia and there are still Russian banks that are not excluded from international payments.”
European Parliament: majority for an oil embargo
In the European Parliament, however, there must be a majority for an oil embargo. He sees that there is broad consensus in Parliament for a corresponding resolution, said the head of the EPP’s conservative group, Manfred Weber. “There are huge profits that would no longer go to Russia,” the leader of the largest group in the European Parliament said on Wednesday.