EU ambassadors have agreed on a plan to phase out Russian energy by 2028

The ambassadors of the European Union (EU) countries have agreed to continue implementing a plan to stop importing Russian oil and gas by 2028. This was reported by Reuters on October 8, citing sources.

"The Ambassadors of the European Union on Wednesday (October 8. — Ed.) agreed to continue implementing the bloc's plan to stop importing Russian oil and gas by 2028, <...> overcoming the first political obstacle before the governments vote on it at the end of this month," the material says.

According to the agency, at a closed meeting, the EU ambassadors agreed to send the proposed law to their ministers for approval at a meeting on October 20. Almost all EU countries are said to have supported the project, despite criticism from Hungary and Slovakia.

It is noted that negotiations are continuing on technical changes before the vote. Among them is the question of whether exports of liquefied natural gas to Europe should be pre—authorized or checked by customs authorities upon arrival at EU ports to confirm that it is not Russian.

According to Reuters, France and Italy supported the overall plan, but offered to clarify exactly how supplies would be controlled to ensure compliance with the ban.

United and transparent: Hungary and Slovakia want to be deprived of the right of veto on the issue of sanctions

But this is impossible without changing the basic laws of the EU, the European Parliament says.

On August 29, the head of European diplomacy, Kaya Kallas, called on EU countries to impose secondary sanctions against oil supplies from Russia, which will be similar to restrictions imposed by the United States. On September 12, it was reported that the European Union was finalizing the 19th package of sanctions against Russia. According to Callas, additional measures will be considered regarding the supply of Russian oil, tankers of the "shadow" fleet and banks.

Vladimir Demidov, an independent expert on the resources and energy market, told Izvestia on September 25 that Hungary and Slovakia will face serious challenges after the European Commission introduces customs duties on oil from Russia, since more than 30% of their supplies come from this country.

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