The European Parliament is preparing to adopt a resolution calling for more "targeted" measures against Russia's shadow fleet amid growing evidence that Moscow is evading sanctions and the risk of environmental disaster, Politico reports, UNN citing a draft proposal.
Details
The initiative, which has received broad support from political groups in the European Parliament, calls for "systematic sanctions" against ships carrying Russian oil and urges the EU to increase satellite monitoring and "targeted inspections" of tankers. It also proposes new requirements for ships to show proof of insurance in EU waters.
The non-binding resolution is a response to ongoing revelations that western sanctions on oil exports from moscow have largely failed. russia increasingly relies on a fleet of more than 600 aging tankers with unknown insurance and unclear ownership to transport its crude oil around the world. The trade in fossil fuels accounts for almost half of the Kremlin's revenues.
The effort also follows growing fears that the "squeaky" tankers could cause an environmental disaster near the EU, after it was reported last month that the shadowy fleet has been linked to numerous oil spills in the world's oceans, including two in European waters.
In the proposal, MEPs argue that the bloc should "ensure sufficient preparedness" for further spills.
"With this resolution, the (European) Parliament demands that the Union and its member states take decisive action to stop these tankers transporting oil through the Baltic Sea," said Jonas Sjöstedt, a Swedish MEP from the Left-wing group who is leading the proposal.
Addendum
The EU has banned all maritime imports of Russian oil and imposed a $60 per barrel price floor on international oil trade with Moscow along with its G7 allies. But about 80 percent of Russia's maritime crude oil is now transported on ships that are not controlled by the West, according to a study by the Center for Energy and Clean Air Research.
The European Parliament largely plays a symbolic role in the sanctions proposed by the European Commission, and all 27 countries of the bloc must subsequently approve them.
However, some of the proposals in the resolution are already gaining traction in the EU, as "early discussions begin on Brussels' next package of sanctions - the 15th since Moscow invaded Ukraine nearly three years ago.
The MEPs' proposals "sound good," said an EU diplomat, "because the shadow fleet circumvents sanctions, and it is useful to prevent any other [environmental] accidents." Another diplomat called the proposals "positive.
MEPs will vote on the resolution, which is still subject to change, later this week, the newspaper said.