The European Parliament (EP) has approved an immediate embargo on Russia’s fossil fuels. Resolution c9-0197/2022: EU Sanctions against Russia received 513 votes in favor, 93 against, with 46 MEPs choosing to abstain.
“European Parliament wants immediate full fossil fuel embargo ! No gas, no oil, no coal… NO European money for Putin’s army !” wrote Guy Verhofstadt, an MEP from the ALDE group, on his Facebook page.
The details of the vote will be published on the EP’s official site later today.
The EP’s resolution comes at a time when EU member states are making final touches to the fifth sanctions package against Russia, which falls short of a complete ban on fossil fuels due to opposition from countries like Germany.
Verhofstadt, who is a former prime minister of Belgium, has previously criticized the EU authorities for their sanction policy, stating that because Russia is not a democracy, progressive sanctions strategy does not work, adding that public opinion does not matter in autocracies.
Several EU states wanted to go further by also banning Russian oil, but others whose economies are highly dependent on Russia energy supplies, like Germany resisted, AFP reported. Although the motion was nonbinding, speaker Roberta Metsola called it a “very important moment” that sent the “strongest messages” to Ukraine on the degree of EU support, the AFP report added.
