As Politico has learned, France and Belgium – the two largest buyers of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) – do not want to support the European Commission's proposed plan to abandon gas supplies from Russia.
Points of attention
- French Energy Minister emphasizes the importance of European diversification strategy and legal certainty in the transition away from Russian gas.
- Fear of legal repercussions and economic implications drive the hesitation of France and Belgium in cutting ties with Russian gas suppliers.
France and Belgium prevent the EC from making an important decision
According to media reports, France, which buys the most Russian LNG, claims to be promoting the idea of finding alternative supplies.
As for Belgium, it wants a report detailing the economic consequences before supporting the European Commission's new plan.
French Energy Minister Marc Ferracci made a statement on this matter.
"We defend the European diversification strategy... which is already on the table," he said, referring to Paris' plan to replace Russian supplies with Qatari products.
In addition, Ferraci spoke about the "legal certainty" of Brussels' proposal.
Emmanuel Macron's team fears that private firms could face Russian lawsuits over unfulfilled contracts.
France's TotalEnergies, for example, is currently tied to a supply contract with Russia's Novatek until 2032, and also owns a 20 percent stake in the Yamal project, which operates an LNG plant in Siberia.
Belgium, which plans to receive and store Russian LNG until 2035, wants the European Commission to allay its fears on this matter.
