France, along with nine other European Union (EU) countries including Austria and the Czech Republic, sent a document ahead of a meeting of EU Energy Ministers on October 15, the Financial Times reported.
These ten countries called on the European Committee to require companies registered to import Russian LNG at EU ports to clearly specify the import volumes.
French Energy Minister Agnes Pannier-Runacher said that “the highest level of transparency regarding LNG” is needed to “eliminate dependence on Russian fuel”.
According to data from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA), in the first half of 2024, the EU's gas imports from Russia increased by 11% compared to the same period last year, despite the European Union's efforts to "wean" itself off Russian fossil fuels.
France, Spain and Belgium accounted for 87% of Europe's LNG imports from Russia in the first half of 2024, with imports into France doubling and imports into Belgium falling by 16%.
Belgium, which has long called for the EU to sanction Russian LNG, said in a separate document on October 15 that it had been developing a mechanism for tracing the origin of LNG, “which would enable it to monitor and, if necessary, restrict Russian LNG.”
Once imported gas enters the EU, it is difficult to trace its final destination as it is often mixed with gas from other sources and subject to commercially sensitive contracts.
Efforts to reduce Russian fuel flows into the EU have been blocked by Hungary, which has consistently opposed sanctions and sought to extend existing agreements with Russian oil giant Gazprom.
Last week, Budapest signed an agreement with Gazprom to continue gas supplies via the Turkish gas pipeline.
Russian gas also reaches the EU via Ukraine – despite the conflict – under a contract that expires at the end of this year. A senior European official said discussions on extending the contract were “a very sensitive issue”. “We need to recognise the fact that Ukraine is getting transit revenue,” the official said.
Sven Giegold, Germany's Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, said it was "worrying" to see fuel imports from Russia increasing and the European Commission should come up with "a roadmap to reduce fuel imports from Russia to zero".
The concerns come after the EU took its first step to restrict Russian LNG in June by sanctioning transshipment – the re-export of Russian fuel to third countries – from EU ports.
EU countries including the Netherlands have raised concerns that the ban has the unintended side effect of increasing the amount of goods shipped into the EU because they can no longer be re-exported elsewhere, even though the ban only officially comes into effect in March next year.
