Germany & Czech Republic Want EU to Fully Cease all Russian Energy Imports

Germany and the Czech Republic are advocating for the European Union to initiate discussions on phasing out the remaining Russian energy imports, EU diplomats reportedly informed Reuters this week.

Germany, the EU’s largest economy and gas consumer, along with the Czech Republic, plans to urge Brussels to establish regular high-level discussions, potentially involving energy ministers from member states, to strategize on completely terminating Russian energy imports.

This push comes after Russia drastically cut its gas exports to Europe following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022, coupled with an undersea explosion that halted the Nord Stream pipeline, previously a major gas supply route from Russia to Germany.

In response to these disruptions, the EU has significantly increased its use of renewable energy and diversified its gas sources away from Russia. Nonetheless, Russian gas still accounted for 15% of the EU’s total gas consumption last year.

Data from analytics firm Kpler indicates that Russia exported over 15.6 million metric tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to EU ports in the previous year, marking a 37.7% increase compared to 2021, the year prior to the Ukraine invasion.

Berlin and Prague are expected to present their proposal during a meeting of EU energy ministers in Brussels on Thursday, according to EU diplomats.

A document previously reviewed by Reuters reveals that the ministers will discuss on Thursday the various challenges they face in eliminating Russian energy imports such as the need for land-locked member states to build or re-tool pipelines to import gas from non-Russian sources.

Certain such member states, such as Austria and Hungary, still heavily depend on Russian gas.

The initiative by Germany and the Czech Republic is part of the EU’s broader efforts to navigate the insufficient consensus among its members regarding a full embargo on Russian gas imports.

Hungary, in particular, has consistently threatened to veto such sanctions. The EU has already implemented bans on Russian coal and sea-borne crude oil, though exemptions exist for some landlocked countries.

Additionally, the EU is deliberating over sanctions on the transshipment of Russian LNG within Europe but has not yet considered a complete ban on these imports.

The EU has also adopted a legal measure that permits member states to prevent Russian companies from using their gas import infrastructure.

However, countries like Spain have expressed concerns that unilateral action could lead to Russian LNG being redirected to other EU ports. The EU has set an objective to eliminate its reliance on Russian energy by 2027.

These developments highlight the ongoing complexity and varied dependencies within the EU concerning energy imports from Russia, underscoring the need for coordinated and strategic efforts to achieve energy independence.

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