As long as there are no sanctions at the level of the European Union, it is possible to import such goods, spokesman Piotr Mueller said during the press conference, referring to Poland importing LPG from Russia. Last year, our country was the largest importer of liquefied gas in the entire Community.
– There are no sanctions at the level of the European Union in this regard. Naturally, as long as there are no such sanctions at the EU level, it is actually possible to import goods that are not subject to these sanctions, Mueller said.
The government spokesman was asked whether Poland itself could not introduce such restrictions. – We have made such moves several times to force the EU to ban coal imports, for example. Now, however, we expect that if such actions are taken, it will be as part of the EU’s solidarity, and not at this time Germany whether other countries will be able to import, use cheaper energy and not act in solidarity in this regard. If other European countries agree, we will be able to talk about such a move, he said.
The loophole in sanctions
The Forum Energii report published at the beginning of April shows that in the case of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), Poland in 2022 was the largest importer in the entire European Union. About PLN 3 billion was paid for Russian LPG. As indicated by FE in its analysis, the EU embargo on Russian fuels did not cover, among others, just LPG.
Senate amendment lost, opposition draft
The opposition demands the introduction of sanctions on Russian LPG. Members of the Left, KO, KP-PSL and Poland 2050 announced in April that a draft on this matter had been submitted to the Sejm. At the same time, they asked parliamentarians of other groups, especially the United Right, for his support.
Left-wing MP Andrzej Szejna explained that last year he was prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of State Assets Jacek Sasin announced that by the end of 2022 they would stop importing gas from Russia.
“Nothing like that has happened over time. In this situation, we are still dependent on liquefied LPG from Russia in this respect, and more importantly, we paid about PLN 3 billion for it last year. This means that we gave Russia the opportunity to buy tanks, missiles, flamethrowers and other types of weapons for 3 billion zlotys, which they use in the war against Ukraine Sheena said.
In April 2022, the Senate introduced an amendment to the so-called the sanctions act, which assumed the introduction of a ban on the import and transit of LPG from Russia and Belarus. The majority of the House rejected this amendment. Jacek Sasin said at the time that if the amendment were adopted, 3.5 million Poles driving LPG-powered vehicles would be deprived of the possibility of refueling with cheaper fuel, because domestic production covers only about 20 percent. Polish consumption.
Main photo source: Shutterstock