Bulgaria abstains in EU vote on complete ban of Russian gas imports

 

Bulgaria abstained while Hungary and Slovakia voted “against” the EU Council’s decision to terminate imports of Russian gas. Adoption required a qualified majority.

A diplomatic source told Bulgarian National Radio that in this way Bulgaria has safeguarded itself against potential future claims by Russia, as it has an obligation to ensure the transit of Russian natural gas to Serbia, Hungary and Slovakia, and failure to do so could lead to substantial penalties for the country. However, the adopted regulation does not provide for solidarity with an affected state in such a scenario, the source explained.

A full ban will take effect for LNG imports from the beginning of 2027, and for pipeline gas imports from the autumn of 2027.

Edited by Ivo Ivanov

Translated by Kostadin Atanasov