Germany is ready to support the EU's embargo on Russian oil without the participation of Hungary, but the proposal should be put forward by the European Commission, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Monday
BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd May, 2022) Germany is ready to support the EU's embargo on Russian oil without the participation of Hungary, but the proposal should be put forward by the European Commission, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said on Monday.
"If head of the European Commission (Ursula von der Leyen) says, we will do it now as part of 26 (EU countries), without Hungary. This is the way I would go, but I have not heard about it from the EU yet. In this case, I would be ready to ... The European Commission has taken the lead in the negotiations," Habeck said in an interview with the Deutschlandfunk Kultur radio broadcaster.
Germany admits that some EU countries need a longer transition period to refuse oil imports from Russia, the minister said. He added, commenting on Hungary's position on the oil embargo, that each country has its own prerequisites, they depend to a different degree on energy imports.
"My guess is that the path will be as follows: as is always the case in Europe, some countries will receive special rights, and an agreement will be reached," Habeck said, noting that in this case, the decision on the oil embargo would be "a concerted European action, driven by Europe."
When asked about the process of refusing Russian oil supplies, the official said that there is progress in the issue. In particular, two floating LNG terminals will start operating by the end of the year, while gas storage facilities are "slowly but steadily" being filled.
"We reduced our dependence on gas from Russia from 55% before the war (in Ukraine) to 35%. If all goes well, by Christmas or by the end of the year we will have two LNG terminals," he said.
