Ribera calls for a common EU position to ban Russian gas imports "as soon as possible"

BRUSSELS, Mar. 4 (EUROPA PRESS) -

The third vice president and minister for the Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, asked this Monday in Brussels for a common position at the European Union level on "how to reduce or prohibit" imports of Russian gas, including liquefied natural gas (LNG), from of Russia "as soon as possible."

"I will insist on it because we need a common European position, and not for the future, but as soon as possible," the minister stated in statements to the media prior to the meeting of Energy Ministers in the Belgian capital.

Specifically, Ribera referred to the proposal that the Lithuanian delegation will present this Monday, which will urge the European Commission to present "urgent" legislative proposals to guarantee the cessation of imports of Russian gas, as of January 1, 2027. .

"There is a country that says that we should be much tougher on LNG imports from Russia and I think what we have seen so far is that we need to have a common position," said the vice president.

Likewise, he recalled that the gas package includes a provision that allows Member States to take proportionate national measures in terms of reducing gas imports, but when asked about the possible activation of this clause in Spain, he asked "what if "I ban it unilaterally and it comes through France?"

On the contrary, he stressed that "the only way to move forward is to have a recommendation that comes from the Commission" to find "a common approach on how to reduce or prohibit imports from Russia."

"There is an important awareness about the need to continue promoting a reduction in demand," he added, which is why he also hopes that the Commission's recommendations to maintain the 15% decrease in gas consumption "will be adopted." without any problem."