EU looking at options to forbid new Russian gas contracts, source says

Kate Abnett - Reuters - 07:51
The European Commission is assessing whether it could legislate to forbid firms in the European Union from signing new contracts for Russian fossil fuels, a senior EU official said on Tuesday.
BRUSSELS, April 22 (Reuters) - The European Commission is assessing whether it could legislate to forbid firms in the European Union from signing new contracts for Russian fossil fuels, a senior EU official said on Tuesday.
It is also working on legal options to allow EU companies to break existing gas supply contracts with Russia without facing penalties, the senior official added.

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With some member states vowing to block any EU sanctions on Russian gas, the Commission is instead looking at other tools that could hasten the end of Europe's reliance on Russian energy. It plans to set out options for doing this in a "roadmap" due on May 6.
The Commission is looking at options - potentially including EU trade measures - that could forbid European companies from entering into new contracts for Russian fuel, said the official, who was granted anonymity to discuss the confidential plans that are still being developed.
The move to forbid new contracts is aimed at cutting European companies' spot purchas...
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