Valdis Dombrovskis
“If anything, we need to strengthen sanctions against Russia, not ease them, because Russia is benefiting from the conflict in the Middle East and high energy prices, making super profits,” Latvian portal Delfi.lv quoted him as saying, citing Euronews.
On Tuesday, the British government published an open-ended license for imports of diesel fuel and jet fuel produced from Russian oil in third countries such as Turkey and India, where oil is purchased at a discount.
A separate license allows for short-term service contracts with the Sakhalin-2 and Yamal LNG projects until January 2027.
Asked about a possible easing of EU sanctions against Russian oil and gas to lower energy bills, Dombrovskis ruled out such a possibility.
According to him, there is no risk of blackouts in Europe despite energy pressure and new global crises.
MEPs are pushing the idea of a complete ban on Russian gas imports by 2027 and an earlier phase-out of oil.
The “Roman Dilemma”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni urged the EU to treat the energy crisis as no less of a priority than the defense crisis and to relax fiscal rules because of rising energy costs.
In a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Meloni said the EU should show the same “political courage” on energy as it does on defense.
Dombrovskis said that the EU is considering options to support Italy, but such support should be temporary and targeted, taking into account the requests of member states.
