“We have to act fast”
“It’s a matter of the day. We need to act quickly,” Bon said in a broadcast on LCI TV, answering a question about the timing of the oil embargo from Russia.
He also hoped that Hungary’s doubts on this subject could be overcome as soon as possible.
“Today, this issue is much more complex as many countries depend on Russian oil. This is a sensitive issue not only for Hungary, but also for Slovakia and Bulgaria. They are more dependent on oil from the Russian Federation than others in the EU,” explained Bon.
According to him, the sixth package of sanctions against Russia can be adopted before the end of this weekend – May 15. The diplomat added that French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Viktor Orban plan to meet by phone on Tuesday to reach an agreement on restrictive measures against Russia. According to the Foreign Minister of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this could be one of the last stages of agreeing on the terms of the European sanctions policy.
Bon reminded that the consent of all 27 countries of the community is currently required for any decision of the EU to be adopted. And France, in accordance with the principle of rotation, presides over the EU this half of the year.
On May 6, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said that the entry into force of the embargo proposed by the European Union on oil from the Russian Federation would devastate the country’s economy.
“The plan proposed by Brussels threatens the Hungarian economy… If an embargo is imposed on Russian oil, it will destroy Hungary’s energy security and therefore the Hungarian economy. Speaking at the Pata József automobile plant, Szijjártó said, “We cannot allow anyone to ruin the result of decades of efforts of the Hungarian people.”
embargo blocking
The official representative of Josep Borrell, Peter Stano, informed the radio station “Moscow is speaking” about the preparation for an embargo on Russian oil. According to him, the talks are held in a closed format and the positions of the countries on this issue are not disclosed until a decision is made.
“As for the oil embargo. Members of the European Union continue to debate how to impose a ban on Russian oil, which would further harm the Kremlin regime and not EU countries dependent on supply from Russia. These negotiations are confidential and we cannot make their details public. “I can reiterate that the sixth package of sanctions, drawn up by EU members, is aimed at increasing the financial pressure on the Putin regime to prevent illegal aggression against the Ukrainian people,” Stano said.
Last week, Bloomberg reported that Hungary again blocked the embargo on Russian oil at a meeting of EU permanent representatives, despite the European Commission allowing Hungary and Slovakia to purchase Russian oil until the end of 2024 so that they can find alternative oil sources. Raw materials.
The Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary officially opposed a full embargo. The first two countries want a three-year transition period for themselves, while Hungary seeks exemptions for oil supplies from Russia via pipelines.
On 6 May, the official representative of the European Commission, Eric Mamer, said at a briefing in Brussels that the EU’s discussions on the sixth package of sanctions against the Russian Federation are continuing and that the EC is confident that it will be possible to reach this agreement. an agreement.
“As we have said over and over, the purpose of the sanctions is to minimize the consequences for the EU and the rest of the world while doing the maximum damage to the Kremlin… This requires ongoing discussions at the moment, but we are confident we will find a solution,” he said.
Sixth sanctions package
On Wednesday, May 4, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen announced that as part of the upcoming sixth package of sanctions against the Russian Federation, the commission will propose a phased ban on all imports of Russian oil to the EU. . EC spokesman Eric Mamer, on the other hand, stated that the proposal for an oil embargo against Russia takes into account the fact that some EU countries are more dependent on Russian energy resources for various reasons.
The Wall Street Journal, citing two unnamed sources, said the “central” of the sixth package was the proposal “that bloc member states should stop importing Russian crude oil for six months and not buy Russian oil products until the end of this year.” “
The article stated that “the new sanctions will be one of the toughest steps of the European Union aimed at punishing Russia for attacking Ukraine”.
The EU also plans to continue sanctions against Russian Gazprombank, which EU member states use to pay for Russian gas. The article also said the EU’s move to ban Russian oil imports was “potentially costly” for the alliance itself, which is heavily dependent on Russian hydrocarbons for transport, heating, electricity and industrial production.
And France-Presse learned that the EU had proposed to impose sanctions on the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.