EU agrees partial ban on imports of Russian oil
The EU will hold a special summit in Brussels, Belgium on May 30 and 31, 2022, to discuss issues such as EU sanctions against Russia. European Council President Charles Michel tweeted late on the 30th that leaders of EU member states agreed to immediately ban the import of 75% of Russian oil, with a temporary exception for oil supplied by pipelines.
Michel said the move would reduce Russia's huge source of funding and put "maximum pressure" on Russia to end the conflict.
At this stage, about 30% of the oil imported by the EU comes from Russia, of which about two-thirds of the oil arrives by sea by tanker, and one-third is transported by the "Friendship" oil pipeline.
The "Friendship" oil pipeline starts from Almedyevsk, Russia, passes through Belarus, the northern route leads to Germany and Poland, and the southern route passes through Ukraine to connect the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.
According to Reuters, if Germany and Poland, which are connected to the above-mentioned pipeline, give up buying Russian oil before the end of the year, the EU's "oil ban" against Russia will contain 90% of Russian oil.
The European Commission submitted a proposal for the sixth round of sanctions against Russia on May 4, mainly to ban the import of oil from Russia before the end of this year. Under EU rules, the European Commission proposal requires the unanimous consent of the 27 member states to enter into force. Due to Hungary's opposition, the proposal failed to be passed at the EU foreign ministers' meeting on the 16th.
Hungary is highly dependent on Russian energy, with more than 60% of its oil and 85% of its natural gas coming from Russia. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned on the 30th that in the event of an accident in the oil pipeline passing through Ukraine, the European Union must ensure that Hungary obtains Russian oil by sea.
It is understood that new energy, especially solar energy, will play a more important role in Europe.
