Inese Vaidere appointed rapporteur for a draft law on the EU's complete ban of Russian gas and oil

Inese Vaidere MEP has been appointed rapporteur on the issue of phasing out Russian gas and oil imports and increasing the European Union's energy independence.

"I have been entrusted with the task of working on a European Parliament’s report to completely ban Russian oil and gas imports. This will increase our energy independence while reducing Russia's income, which Putin uses to finance his war machine. I anticipate that the work will not be easy, however, I hope that we will be able to agree to stop financing the economy of an aggressor state with European citizens' money," said Inese Vaidere.

The proposal provides for a gradual phase-out of Russian gas and oil imports into the EU by the end of 2027. This is entirely possible, given that the EU has sufficient alternative suppliers on the global gas market, the EU gas market is well connected, and the EU has sufficient import infrastructure.

"Russia is waging war and brutally murdering people in Ukraine. It is therefore incomprehensible that we in Europe are continuing to buy Russian gas and oil three years after the start of a full-scale war. It is clear that gas imports from Russia are a threat to European security," explains Inese Vaidere.