Ukraine war
EU Commission proposes import ban on Russian coal
The EU Commission is preparing restrictions on Russian coal imports because of the war in Ukraine. Photo: Bernd Wüstneck/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The EU has already passed four packages of sanctions against Russia. However, President Putin is not giving in. That is why the EU Commission in Brussels is now presenting a proposal for a fifth package.
The EU Commission has presented a proposal for a comprehensive package of new sanctions against Russia.
According to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, it includes a ban on the import of coal from Russia, a port ban on Russian ships and other trade restrictions. The 27 EU countries must now decide whether the sanctions will be imposed as proposed.
Von der Leyen explicitly named the violent acts in Bucha, Ukraine, that became known over the weekend as the reason for the far-reaching proposals. “These atrocities must not and will not remain without consequences,” said the German politician. Russia is waging a cruel war not only against the brave Ukrainian army, but also against the civilian population.
It is important at this stage to put as much pressure as possible on Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Russian government. In view of the recent events, the pressure must be increased. The sanctions would have to be even more comprehensive and severe so that they hit the Russian economy even more.
The import ban on coal is intended to contribute to this. According to Von der Leyen, the EU imports Russian coal worth four billion euros every year. On Tuesday, however, she left open when the ban could apply.
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) recently said that Germany would be free of Russian coal deliveries by the end of the summer. He supports the import ban in principle, as the German Press Agency learned on Tuesday from circles in the Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection. It is in line with the line of the ministry to achieve independence from Russian energy imports segment by segment and step by step.
According to von der Leyens, the Commission’s proposal also includes a complete ban on transactions for four key Russian banks, including the country’s second largest bank VTB. The four institutes accounted for 23 percent of the market share in the Russian banking sector. Russian ships and ships operated by Russia are also to be banned from entering EU ports. There should be exceptions for the delivery of food, humanitarian aid and energy.
In order to further weaken the Russian economy, there are said to be further restrictions on trade with Russia with a volume of around ten billion euros. According to von der Leyen, these include quantum computers and means of transport. Products such as wood, cement and seafood worth 5.5 billion euros should also no longer be imported into the EU. According to the proposal, Russian companies may no longer participate in public tenders in the EU countries. In addition, other people close to Putin are to be included on the sanctions list. This means that they would no longer be allowed to enter the EU and any assets in the EU would be frozen.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell also announced that 19 officials at the Russian mission to the European Union had been declared undesirable. The reason for this is that they carry out activities that contradict their diplomatic status. This was communicated to the Russian ambassador in the afternoon.
According to von der Leyens, another round of sanctions could also limit or ban oil imports from Russia.