Belgium, one of Europe's largest importers of liquefied natural gas from Russia, has called on the EU to ban the Russian fuel, the Financial Times reports.
Brussels has warned that companies cannot terminate long-term contracts unless the bloc imposes sanctions in general.
Belgian Energy Minister Tinne van der Straeten told the FT that the EU must "go further" to stop Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies to the bloc as concerns grow about increased imports.
According to her, rules introduced by Brussels last December banning Russian energy companies from using EU infrastructure did not provide sufficient legal grounds for companies that used ports such as Belgium's Zeebrugge, a major hub for LNG imports and re-exports to third countries, to cancel their contracts.
Typical LNG contracts run for a decade or more, so many of them are in place even before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
"We have looked into this...We have Russian gas coming into Belgium. I have looked under every stone, and the gas [legislation] will not help. We need a European approach," Van der Straeten said.
Sophie Hermans, the Dutch Minister of Climate Change and Green Development, told the country's parliament in a letter that she would raise the issue at a meeting of EU energy ministers in October.
The number of Russian gas tankers arriving at Rotterdam's main terminal has risen sharply this year, from one per month between mid-2022 and mid-2024 to two per month during the summer. A standard-sized tanker typically carries the equivalent of around 70,000-80,000 tonnes of gas.
"There are no other options under which we could terminate private contracts without invoking the European Commission's sanctions rule," Hermans said.
- Brussels has consistently pushed EU countries to reduce their dependence on Russian gas since Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. However, the bloc has not imposed sanctions on the fuel beyond the transshipment ban - the import and re-export of Russian LNG to other countries - which was agreed in June but has not yet entered into force.
- After Spain, Belgium was the second-largest importer of Russian LNG in 2023, according to analyst firm Kpler. However, France may overtake Belgium and Spain this year after increasing imports to Dunkirk and Montaingras.
- Earlier, European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson said that the European Union has significantly reduced its dependence on Russian gas and continues to move towards the abandonment of gas coming from Russia.