EU reaches preliminary agreement on ban on Russian liquefied natural gas
The EU Council and the European Parliament reached a preliminary agreement on common internal market rules for renewable energy, natural gas and hydrogen.
This is stated in the press release of the EU Council, cited by Ukrinform, Censor.NET reports.
"This agreement will bring many benefits to consumers and our planet. It will reduce our use of fossil fuels and reduce our dependence on fossil fuel imports. It will allow us to switch to renewable energy sources and increase security of supply. And, importantly, it will protect consumers," said Teresa Ribera Rodriguez, Minister of the Environment and Demographics of Spain.
The parties agreed, in particular, that the legal regulation will contain provisions allowing Member States to impose restrictions on the supply of natural gas, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), from Russia or Belarus, in order to protect the essential security interests of Member States or the EU, while taking into account security of supply and diversification objectives.
It is noted that the agreement reached today must now be approved and formally adopted by both institutions.
According to Bloomberg, this agreement will give EU countries the choice to independently ban Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies without imposing new energy sanctions at the EU level.
