The European Union has bought €35 billion worth of gas, oil and coal from Russia since the war in Ukraine began, said EU foreign affairs chief Borrell earlier this week† Although Europe is trying to quickly reduce its dependence on Russian gas, there has been little support so far for a boycott of Russian gas.
Countries such as Germany and Italy are highly dependent on Russian gas and opponents say a boycott would do more damage in Europe than in Russia. After excluding Russia from international payments, freezing foreign assets, confiscation of real estate and luxury yachts, boycotting coal and Russian ships, the list of possible tightenings is getting smaller and smaller. An oil boycott could be the next step, but after that a gas boycott is the next and more or less last heavy measure.
About 15 percent of the gas in the Netherlands comes from Russia. If the import of Russian gas is completely stopped, the Netherlands will also have to cooperate in solving shortages in the rest of Europe, such as in Germany. This can be done, for example, by opening the gas tap in Groningen further. Closing or limiting large-scale consumers of gas in the chemical, fertilizer industry and other energy-intensive companies is also an option.
Higher account
The government has already called on citizens to use energy more efficiently. A gas shortage will not occur in the summer, but it will be a challenge to fill the storage places for next winter.
For households, a boycott of Russian gas will mean that energy bills will rise even higher without further action. The government has already spent billions on compensation through a reduction in energy tax, extra support for lower incomes and a reduction in excise duties on petrol and diesel.
But not all further price increases will be compensated. A boycott of Russian gas will therefore lead to higher costs for citizens.
–
