Reuters reported on the EU's intention to exempt key gas suppliers from additional checks.

The European Union (EU) intends to exempt gas from key suppliers, including the United States and Qatar, from additional inspections as part of the upcoming phase-out of Russian gas. This is evidenced by the draft document of the European Commission (EC), which was reviewed by Reuters on January 28.

This week, EU countries finally approved a legally binding plan to phase out Russian gas imports by the end of 2027, according to which companies will have to provide European customs authorities with confirmation of the gas producing country five days before its arrival in the EU.

"However, this requirement will be lifted for the main existing suppliers and for countries where the EU considers the risk of Russian gas entering their exports to be low, based on factors such as the country's ban on Russian gas supplies or their lack of import infrastructure," the agency said in a statement.

According to the draft document, the United States, Norway, Qatar, Great Britain, Algeria and Nigeria will receive this exception. It is noted that the EC representative declined to comment on the draft, as it may undergo changes before publication.

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The Politico newspaper reported on January 18 that the EU had fallen into an energy trap from the United States by rejecting gas from Russia. According to the newspaper, the EU currently depends on the supply of liquefied natural gas from the United States, as it is gradually abandoning gas supplies from Russia.

The day before, Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said that Bratislava plans to file a lawsuit in the EU court demanding the lifting of the ban on Russian gas imports to EU countries, which is due to enter into force in 2027. The Slovak Foreign Ministry also clarified that the representative of Bratislava voted against approving the initiative to ban the import of Russian gas.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.