Why can’t the EU ban the purchase of Russian oil immediately?

In an interview with MSNBC earlier this week, Ms. Von der Leyen explained that the ban would cause Moscow to sell fuel elsewhere and possibly earn more money to fund “special military operations” in Ukraine. .

“We have to find a balance that doesn’t hurt our economy too much because this is the strongest lever against Russia… We have to approach that topic strategically. It is also so important that we have to call for the cooperation of the rest of the world,” said Ms. Von der Leyen.

The EC Chairwoman emphasized that overcoming Russia’s dependence on oil and gas is one of the main goals of the EU in the long run, especially when considering the European green transition goal.

Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria currently import their main crude oil via the Druzhba pipeline with supplies from Russia. Photo: Sputnik

Earlier this month, Brussels introduced a new package of measures that combine the two goals, called REPowerEU. It envisages diversification from Russian natural gas to other suppliers, such as purchasing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the US, while promoting energy savings and investments in renewable energy such as wind, solar, hydro and hydrogen.

“Over time, what we do is eliminate our total dependence on Russian fossil fuels, all three of these fuels, and never buy from Russia again… President Putin has lost customers. its best and Europe will never return,” added Ms. Von der Leyen.

The EU launched a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Russia shortly after Moscow launched a “special military operation” in Ukraine on February 24. Even so, the inclusion of the Russian oil ban in Brussels’ sixth package of sanctions was blocked by several EU members earlier this month.

The EU called for a ban on shipping Russian oil by sea while delaying import restrictions from a key Soviet-era pipeline. Bloomberg revealed that the EC proposed that EU members phase out the import of crude oil by sea in 6 months and refined petroleum products in 8 months. Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria currently import crude oil through the Druzhba pipeline with supplies from Russia.

For its part, the Czech Republic said it needed time to implement the EU’s proposed ban on Russian oil because it could have “heavy economic consequences”.