In the debate about an oil embargo against Russia, Germany was long seen as a brakeman. Now an import stop would be manageable, according to the government. A proposal from the EU should come soon – maybe today.
Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) expects that the proposal for the next EU sanctions package will come soon.
He assumes that the Commission will propose a sixth package of sanctions today, “including the exit from Russian oil,” Habeck told journalists last night after a meeting of EU ministers responsible for energy in Brussels. “How hard the embargo conditions are defined, there will certainly be a bit of advice.” But he certainly assumes that oil will be on the list, said Habeck. It would then take a few more days for the Member States to vote on the Commission’s proposal.
Meanwhile, in the debate on Russian energy supplies, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called for similar dependencies to no longer be allowed in the future. “Economic complete dependencies, especially from states that do not share our values, are a security risk,” said the Green politician of the “Rheinische Post” and the Bonn “General-Anzeiger”. Of course, you cannot isolate yourself as an export nation in a networked world. “But it is the task of politics, including security policy, never again to allow us to be so dependent that we cannot make political decisions freely.”
Business associations warned of financial consequences
The North Rhine-Westphalian Economics Minister Andreas Pinkwart (FDP), on the other hand, spoke out in favor of not rushing into an oil embargo against Russia. Before the EU announces an oil embargo, “it should ensure that the lack of supply from other sources can be compensated for by higher production rates,” said Pinkwart of the “Rheinische Post”. “Otherwise the prices will continue to rise, which will hit consumers, medium-sized companies and the trades, who are already burdened by high energy costs.”
Business associations also warned of the financial consequences. In the event of an oil embargo, oil prices would undoubtedly continue to rise, said DIHK President Peter Adrian, which would increase the pressure on companies even more. This would make the business unprofitable, especially for energy-intensive industry and logistics companies, Adrian told the “Passauer Neue Presse”.
DIW expects rising fuel prices
The energy expert at the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), Claudia Kemfert, considers an oil embargo to be feasible: “Germany can and must afford not to use Russian oil. Instead of Russia, Germany can get oil from Norway, the USA, North Africa or the Arab world,” said Kemfert. “Oil-exporting countries are currently earning a lot and can also deliver more.”
The DIW expert expects fuel prices to rise and at the same time warns the state against taking action: “It is not possible to reliably predict how high the price of oil and thus the price of petrol will rise. In principle, high fossil energy prices give an incentive to change course, but unfortunately the federal government tends to override this with unnecessary and expensive tank discounts. Instead, it should better expand charging infrastructures, strengthen public transport and the railways and implement the energy transition quickly.”
The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, introduced new means of exerting pressure on Russia. He demanded that ships carrying Russian supplies should not be unloaded in German ports. “I call on the traffic light government, all state governments and all German ports to boycott all Russian ships or ships with Russian cargo – especially oil tankers,” Melnyk told the “Spiegel”. On Saturday, employees at the port of Amsterdam turned away a tanker loaded with diesel oil from Russia.
Source: Stern
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