EU seeks to circumvent the law to import gas from Russia

In a new guidance on gas payments, the European Commission (EC) said it does not prevent companies from opening accounts at Gazprombank and still allows them to buy gas, according to sources familiar with the matter. burning from Russia.

European companies have struggled for weeks to find a way to meet requests from Russia, while keeping vital gas supplies in circulation without violating sanctions. One of the demands from Moscow is that gas transactions from Russia be paid in rubles, following a statement from President Vladimir Putin on March 31.

Initially, the European Union (EU) argued that the ruble payment mechanism requested by Russia violated its gas contracts as well as its sanctions. However, some sources said that during a closed meeting on May 13, the EU appeared to have “green light” for gas importers in Europe to open accounts in Euro or USD at Gazprombank.

The EC guidance does not specify whether the above companies are allowed to open accounts with Gazprombank in rubles. Earlier, EU officials, although not yet issued a written statement, have indicated that opening such an account would violate Russian sanctions.

Another important point in the guidance is that if European companies declare to have completed the settlement of gas transactions in Euros or USD, they will not be subject to any further impact from the Russian side on the costs of gas transactions. this payment. Many European businesses now have a deadline to pay gas bills at the end of this month and if they don’t, their gas supply could be cut off. Poland and Bulgaria are two countries that have had their gas supplies cut off after failing to comply with a request from Moscow.

Russia’s demand to pay for gas in rubles is dividing Europe, as many countries still depend on Russian fuel for heating homes and supplying the electricity industry. At the meeting on May 13, sources said that while Germany, Hungary, Italy and France supported the plan to open Euro and USD accounts at Gazprombank, Poland considered the plan to lack clarity on legal side. Some other countries expressed confusion because the EC’s guidance did not specifically mention whether parties could open ruble accounts at Gazprombank.

The European Commission has not yet officially responded to this information.

Previously, Russia had asked companies in Europe to open two payment accounts in euros and rubles at Gazprombank, and stated that gas payments would not be settled until the euro was converted into currency. Ruble.

Russia has also repeatedly asserted that its request is “not an act of blackmail” as alleged by the EU, and stated that Moscow “has been and will be a reliable supplier of energy to the parties and remains committed to implementing performance of contractual obligations”.

Vietnamese-English