Can the EU afford to phase out imports of Russian fuel?

Europe began to wean itself from its dependence connected Russia aft nan afloat penetration of Ukraine successful 2022, which led to a spike successful power prices.

Sanctions have led to important cuts successful imports complete 3 years: lipid fell from 27% successful 2022 to 3% successful 2025, gas fell from 45% to 19% successful nan aforesaid play and coal, which astatine nan clip accounted for 50% of EU consumption, stopped entering nan EU altogether.

However, nan EU continues to lend importantly to Russia’s budget, pinch power imports successful 2024 bringing €23bn into Moscow’s coffers. The EU executive now wants to shape retired each specified imports by 2027, pinch measures group retired successful nan RepowerEU Roadmap.

“The logic is to usage waste and acquisition and power policies, which do not require a unanimous vote, arsenic is nan lawsuit pinch sanctions,” says Jorge Liboreiro, a Euronews newsman who has been pursuing developments.

The bloc has been pursuing a strategy of diversifying its suppliers and importing much state from nan US could beryllium an option. However, nan existent tariff antagonism pinch nan US has made nan EU wary of replacing 1 dependence pinch another.

“This is 1 of nan traps we cannot autumn into. Diversification and consequence simplification intends that we really request to person galore much suppliers and not put each our eggs successful 1 basket,” argues Svetelina Penkova, a Socialist MEP from Bulgaria and 1 of nan vice-chairs of nan Committee connected Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE).

“I will springiness nan illustration of a state that has been very receptive: Azerbaijan. It was nan first to proactively connection further supplies of earthy state and it besides accrued accumulation to meet nan increasing request from nan EU,” she said.

Risks for companies and nan domiciled of nuclear

The roadmap proposes a prohibition connected caller short-term contracts for pipeline state and LNG by nan extremity of 2025 and a prohibition connected imports of these gases nether existing semipermanent contracts by nan extremity of 2027. There will besides be new restrictions to shape atomic materials, specified arsenic enriched uranium. 

Market analysts pass forcing companies to extremity contracts for nan import of fuels could lead to tribunal disputes and precocious fines, but "the Commission says that companies tin invoke nan ineligible statement of unit majeure," says nan Euronews reporter.

"This statement would let a institution to terminate nan statement without suffering immoderate punishment because location is simply a condition that is beyond its control," he added.

The ITRE vice-chair thinks that  the summation of nuclear power to nan operation could thief pinch nan shape retired process too.

“A balanced power operation intends renewable power sources and baseload energy. I americium very happy that nan ambiance towards atomic power successful nan EU is changing successful a affirmative measurement because nan Union should beryllium investing successful atomic power successful nan future", MEP Penkova said.

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Journalist: Isabel Marques da Silva

Content production: Pilar Montero López

Video production: Zacharia Vigneron

Graphism: Loredana Dumitru

Editorial coordination: Ana Lázaro Bosch and Jeremy Fleming-Jones