Romania agrees with new sanctions for Russia on oil + gas imports

Romania agrees with the sixth package of sanctions against Russia on oil and gas imports. The announcement was made in Brussels yesterday evening by President Klaus Iohannis on the sidelines of the European Council on the situation in Ukraine. But in order not to be surprised by the evolution, Klaus Iohannis emphasized that he insisted on including a so-called "solidarity clause" in the text. It calls on the Member States and the Commission to take urgent action, for example, to support Romania in the event of a power outage on the Black Sea, Klaus Iohannis explained.

Oana Bala: Several leaders of the European Union member states are skeptical that they will reach a consensus on the adoption of the sixth package of sanctions against Russia.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen: I do not have high expectations that we will solve this problem in the next 48 hours, but I am confident that there will be a possibility in the future. In conclusion, my appeal to the Member States is that solidarity with Ukraine and the unity of the European Union is the key to success.

Oana Bala: Instead, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, declared himself optimistic about the adoption of the sanctions package.

Charles Michel: We want to take a step forward in terms of sanctions. The sixth package of sanctions has been on the table for several weeks. It is important that we make a decision. Now is the time and I am confident that we will make a decision together and present a common position on this important issue. It is not easy, because there are different sensibilities, different worries. We've made progress in the last few hours and I think we can make a decision.

Oana Bala: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban still refuses to support a proposal to ban Russian oil purchases and insists once again that his country needs guarantees for oil supplies from other sources if Russian flows would be interrupted. Romania is represented at the summit by President Klaus Iohannis, who stated that Romania supports the new package of sanctions against Russia and specified that he will insist that the text of the declaration to be adopted by the European Council include a solidarity clause. The head of state stressed that negotiations will continue until an agreement is reached and added that it is possible that this package of sanctions may also include a timing clause.

Klaus Iohannis: No agreement has been reached on this embargo yet, but most want us to continue on package 6 of sanctions. We'll see if we can convince everyone. It is possible to introduce a so-called timing clause, ie to decide on the package of sanctions, but some may be delayed, so that some national economies that depend on imports from Russia will have time to find an alternative supply.

Oana Bala: Another topic on the agenda of the extraordinary European Council meeting is related to energy, and the Romanian president stated that solutions must be found to disconnect from the resources of the Russian Federation and pleaded for maintaining energy prices at a competitive level. The talks in Brussels will also focus on security and defense, with the head of state pointing out that Romania has an interest in being part of the effort to improve the performance of the European defense industry.

Translated by: Radu Matei