LUXEMBOURG (dpa-AFX) – Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) has sharply criticized the earlier German energy policy, which led to dependence on Russia. “It was a mistake for Germany to become so dependent on energy imports from Russia,” said Lindner after a meeting with EU economics and finance ministers on Tuesday. “The German Russia policy of the past must be critically questioned and processed.” Business models based on cheap, imported energy from Russia will no longer be seen in the years to come.
Regarding energy sanctions against Russia, Lindner said that one had to differentiate between different energy sources. “We talk about everything, but differentiate between what we can do without more quickly and where we need a longer time together before we can do without,” said Lindner. Coal and oil from Russia could be replaced more quickly than gas or raw materials such as palladium.
On Tuesday, the EU Commission presented a proposal for a comprehensive package of new sanctions against Russia. According to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, it includes, among other things, an import ban on coal from Russia, a port ban on Russian ships and other restrictions on trade with Russia. The 27 EU countries must now decide whether the sanctions will be imposed as proposed./dub/DP/nas