BRUSSELS – The European Commission will instruct governments to be flexible in enforcing EU rules on gas imports, diplomats told Reuters on Thursday, amid fears they could hold up liquefied natural gas deliveries needed to stabilise supplies during the Iran crisis.
The Commission plans to issue guidance before March 18 on how to apply rules within the European Union’s law to phase out Russian gas, the diplomats said.
The guidance marks an attempt by Brussels to prevent its Russia phaseout rules from inadvertently choking Europe’s gas supply at a moment of vulnerability. It would not affect the EU’s phase-out of Russian gas.
With the Iran conflict rattling global LNG flows and raising the risk of cargo diversions, EU officials fear rigid enforcement could delay or strand shipments, undermining the bloc’s ability to keep storage adequately stocked and safeguard energy security heading into next winter.
The rules in question require that shipments of LNG from certain non-Russian countries receive “prior authorisation” – meaning companies must provide European customs authorities with proof of the gas’s origin five days before it arrives in the EU.
