FT: EU to give member states power to block gas imports from Russia and Belarus

The European Union will give member states the power to block gas imports from Russia and Belarus. Citing a draft text being drawn up in Brussels, the British business daily Financial Times (FT) reported this today. This means that any member state would be able to deny Russian and Belarusian companies access to its gas pipeline network and liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals.

EU member states could thus have the power to partially restrict Russian and Belarusian gas companies' access to their infrastructure in order to protect their vital security interests. In justified cases, access could be restricted not only partially but completely, the British newspaper adds.

Negotiators from the member states and the European Parliament are now examining the draft text. The European Commission (EC), the EU's executive body, declined to comment on the FT report.

The proposal could give energy companies in the EU grounds to terminate contracts with Russian gas suppliers without having to pay hefty penalties, a senior EU official cited by the British newspaper said.

The bloc has already launched a joint gas purchasing initiative to replenish supplies ahead of winter and avoid a repeat of last year's problems. Energy prices surged last year, reaching far above previous records in the summer. Europe is now trying to avert a gas shortage.

The energy market crisis intensified after Russian troops invaded Ukraine last year. The EU had already begun reducing its dependence on Russian commodities before the war in Ukraine, but after the Russian invasion it began rejecting Russian oil and gas even more. High demand for gas from other regions then began driving up prices significantly, as the infrastructure needed to transport the commodity from alternative sources was not in place.

EU member states are also now involved in discussions on the proposal submitted by the EC for a 12th package of economic sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Western countries are seeking to isolate Russia economically through sanctions, but most countries have not joined the Western sanctions. The website of television channel Al Jazeera also described this summer, citing a report by the Norwegian consultancy Corisk, how Western companies can circumvent the sanctions.

Although the EU began reducing its dependence on Russian energy even further after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year, it still receives about a tenth of its gas supplies, including LNG, from Russia, the Financial Times reports. Several EU member states, including Austria and Hungary, remain heavily dependent on Russian gas.

The European Commission wants to persuade member states to stop the remaining imports of Russian gas as well. Some member states, including Poland and the Baltic countries, are loudly calling for the bloc to take an even tougher stance against Russia.