One is prepared for an embargo on Russian gas, Gewessler added. Austria had already stopped processing Russian oil in March. In other member states, however, the situation is different. “It is a basic requirement that we can carry this together,” said the minister.
The Hungarian government is countering this approach. Such an embargo would be counterproductive, said the head of cabinet of the Hungarian Prime Minister, Gergely Gulyas: “Since they can only be decided unanimously, there is no point in the European Commission proposing sanctions that would limit current Hungarian imports,” says the head of cabinet . Hungary’s prime minister himself rejected the demand for an oil embargo on the sidelines of a parliamentary session on Monday.
Currently, no one can replace Russian oil and gas supplies. It would take five years and “a lot of money” for a changeover. Not only is the Commission not giving Hungary any money, it is withholding it.
Ursula von der Leyen’s EU Commission plans to present its proposal for a new package of sanctions against Russia by Wednesday at the latest – including an oil embargo. This was confirmed by employees of the authority on Monday of the German Press Agency (DPA) in Brussels.
The import stop was made possible by a political U-turn in Germany, which had previously been skeptical about an oil embargo. FDP Finance Minister Christian Lindner spoke out in favor of an “economically viable” embargo after Economics Minister Robert Habeck had warned against taking a decision too quickly.
