European Commission voices concern over US bill on Russia sanctions

BRUSSELS, July 26 (KUNA) -- The European Commission expressed concern Wednesday over the state of play of the US draft bill on Russia sanctions because of the propasal's possible impact on EU energy independence.
The US Bill foresees the imposition of sanctions on any company (including European) which contributes to the development, maintenance, modernisation or repair of energy export pipelines by Russia, noted a statement by the EU's executive body.
Depending on its implementation, this could affect infrastructure transporting energy resources to Europe, for instance the maintenance and upgrade of pipelines in Russia that feed the Ukraine gas transit system. It could also have an impact on projects crucial to the EU's diversification objectives such as the Baltic Liquefied Natural Gas project, it noted.
The statement underlined the importance of the sanctions regime against Russia and its strict implementation, but expressed concerns about the possible negative political consequences of the draft Bill.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said: "The EU is fully committed to the Russia sanctions regime. However, G7 unity on sanctions and close coordination among allies are at the heart of ensuring the full implementation of the Minsk Agreements" "The US Bill could have unintended unilateral effects that impact the EU's energy security interests. This is why the Commission concluded today that if our concerns are not taken into account sufficiently, we stand ready to act appropriately within a matter of days. America first cannot mean that Europe's interests come last"," he stressed. (end) nk.sd