Kadri Simson, the European Commissioner for Energy, said on Monday that the Kremlin’s demands had to be rejected despite the risk of a power outage at a time when the deficit could not be met. Last week, Gazprom halted gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria and threatened to supply others if they followed Warsaw and Sofia, which do not pay for fuel in Russian currency. After a meeting of EU energy ministers, Simpson said all energy ministers had agreed that the payment in rubles through the mechanism set out by Russia would violate sanctions imposed by the bloc after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He added that he had not heard of any European energy companies preparing to comply with Moscow despite opposition from Gazprom and companies such as Hungary’s MOL. Simson said: “Many European energy companies are going to make the next payment to Gazprom in mid-May and are trying to better understand what they have to do and we need to make it clear that they are paying in rubles through the conversion mechanism managed by the Russian public. authorities and a second exclusive account with Gazprom Bank are a breach of sanctions and cannot be accepted. “ In 2021, the EU imported 155 billion cubic meters of gas from Russia, accounting for about 45% of EU gas imports and almost 40% of total gas consumption. In the last year, this dependence has decreased, but dependence on Russian fossil fuels remains so high that there is no alternative that could fully offset its loss. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7 p.m. BST It goes without saying that the next big date for gas payments from European energy companies is May 20th. The possible controversy comes as the EU considers a phasing-out of Russian oil, a move German Economy Minister Robert Hubeck said on Monday would lead to a major economic blow and higher prices for consumers. Habeck said Germany was not opposed to such a ban, but warned that Europeans needed to be prepared for the consequences and that some countries would be hit harder than others. He said: “We will hurt ourselves, that’s clear. It is inconceivable that sanctions do not have consequences for our economy and for the prices in our countries. “We as Europeans are ready to endure [the economic strain] in order to help Ukraine. “But there is no way this will not cost us.” According to the draft sixth round of sanctions to be discussed by EU ambassadors on Wednesday, the ban on Russian oil imports will take effect by the end of the year, although Hungary has said it could block the proposal if they are not found. successfully alternatives. Poland’s Minister of Climate and Environment Anna Moskvaa said Warsaw, which has invested heavily in liquefied natural gas terminals, would be ready to help any EU country in need of alternatives to Russian fossil fuels. He said: “We will ask for immediate sanctions on Russian oil and gas. This is the next, urgent and absolute step. We already have coal. Now is the time for oil and [the] the second step is for gas. The best option is to take it all together. “
