EU leaders consider leaving oil pipeline supplying Hungary out of Russian oil embargo

BRUSSELS, 30 May. (EUROPE PRESS) -

The heads of state and government of the European Union will try this Monday to close a political agreement that unblocks the sixth package of sanctions against Russia and allows the embargo of oil imported by sea - about two thirds of that purchased by EU countries. -, although they will leave for a second phase without a precise timetable the veto of the crude that arrives through the pipeline that supplies Hungary and Slovakia to save the reserves to the agreement of the Government of Viktor Orbán.

Finally, the sanctions will come to the discussion table of the leaders after the progress made at the level of ambassadors during the last hours, according to various diplomatic sources, with the aim of showing the "unity" of the bloc and being able to close "in days" the formal agreement that allows prohibiting oil imports by sea, both crude and refined.

However, the agreement on which Twenty-seven works includes "some temporary exceptions" with which to ensure the supply of fuel to the most dependent Member States through the Druzhba pipeline, which in practice means exempting Hungary, Slovakia and Czech Republic from the embargo indefinitely.

To this end, the embargo is contemplated in "two phases" so that the prohibition of imports by pipeline is left for later, something that the partners want to happen "as soon as possible", according to a high-ranking European official, but It is reflected with a specific calendar in the legal text drafted by the delegations.

The Druzhba pipeline is one of the largest in the world and supplies half a dozen countries in the European Union, although the exemption is seen as a measure to save Hungary's rejection of sanctions and will also benefit Slovakia and the Czech Republic. .

Poland and Germany, which are also supplied through this pipeline, have expressed their commitment to fully apply sanctions and cut off all imports of Russian oil by the end of the year, European sources have indicated.

In any case, the leaders are not expected to have a debate on the substance of the agreement to seize the oil, a task that many delegations consider "complex and technical", for which it must be detailed at another level "in the coming days". .

Regarding the second phase, also more controversial due to the fear of partners such as the Netherlands or Italy that this privileged treatment distorts competition in the European energy market, the work will take longer to materialize. Diplomatic sources add that it will take "several weeks" to resolve the issues raised by the Hungarian and Slovak delegations.