The EU will ban all coal imports from Russia. The Reuters news agency learned this on Tuesday from a person familiar with the matter.
The EU will ban coal imports from Russia. The Reuters news agency reports, citing a person familiar with the matter. The EU finance ministers had previously announced at their meeting in Luxembourg that they were considering an oil embargo. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said on Tuesday on the fringes of the meeting that as acting Council President he was campaigning for the approval of all 27 member countries. EU Vice President Valdis Dombrovskis called an import ban on oil and coal “definitely an option”. In view of the war atrocities in Ukraine, the EU needs a “strong and credible sanctions package”.
French President Emmanuel Macron had previously spoken out in favor of stopping oil and coal imports. The FDP agreed to move away from Russian oil. In the case of oil, the changeover could “succeed within a few weeks,” said Michael Kruse, spokesman for energy policy for the FDP in the Bundestag, to the AFP news agency.
Also FDP boss for oil delivery stop
Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) also takes part in the Luxembourg Council. On Monday he spoke out against stopping Russian gas imports, but left open any measures in the oil and coal sectors. The Ukrainian department head Serhiy Marschenko is to be connected via video to the finance ministers’ meeting.
The Austrian Finance Minister Magnus Brunner said in Luxembourg that the discussions were primarily about coal and an export ban on cement, for example. Brunner added to an oil embargo: “In times like these, you can’t rule anything out.” Like Germany, Austria is particularly dependent on Russian energy imports.
