Volt demands complete and immediate ban on Russian energy imports

EU member states have imported mineral fuels and products worth almost 60 Billion Euros in 2020, the revenue from those sales makes up a significant part of Russia’s federal budget. We owe it to the people of Ukraine to do everything in our power to stop financing this brutal war.

Besides being morally obligated to support the Ukrainian people, they defend and die for European values and European safety and thus for our values and our safety, too. If we do not stop Putin and his war machinery now, there is no telling where he will stop - Moldova, Georgia, Estonia, Finland, Poland… 

It is time now to not only show concrete support for democracy against tyranny but also to push for a significant acceleration of our independence from energy imports to achieve the transition towards sustainable energy. At the same time, we need to support people and businesses who suffer from economic distress due to the war and the resulting economic downturn. 

In a first step, Volt proposes to refocus the Corona recovery fund (RRF): currently, 54 Billion Euros are allocated for investments that have a negative impact on climate change or do not reduce energy dependence. 

In a second step, we propose to install the EU Unity Fund as advocated for by our MEP Damian Boeselager. The goal would be to support economies and the population that will be impacted in case of a ban. Of the proposed fund 50% should go into investments in renewables, energy interoperability, and energy-saving measures. The other 50% should be invested into countering the impact of the war on a social and economical level, but also into the support of refugees from Ukraine. 

Needless to say, we endorsed the action of a cross-party group of MEPs by supporting the request for an immediate ban through our representative Damian Boeselager. The proposal has been approved by a vast majority in the European Parliament. With the European Parliament being clear about where it stands, it is now up to the member states to go forward with the ban on all Russian energy exports.