Dutch cities were allowed to use controversial contracts with Gazprom, which are subject to sanctions, until January 1, 2023. This is reported by Reuters.
The Dutch government reversed course and said it would allow several cities, including The Hague, to continue using their gas contracts with the German subsidiary of Gazprom until at least January 1, 2023.
In a letter to the parliament, Dutch Energy Minister Rob Etten said that the government considers the subsidiary a subject of European sanctions against Russia, but demands clarification from the European Commission. In the letter, he named the company SEFE Energy Ltd and said it belonged to Russia.
"Given that the German government does indeed fully control SEFE, but has not yet acquired ownership of its shares, SEFE falls under the sanctions regime," Etten said.
The minister earlier told the 120 Dutch municipalities and other public organizations involved to terminate their contracts with the company by October 10, under European sanctions rules for open-tender contracts. Most of the major Dutch cities that had agreements with Gazprom, including Utrecht, have already concluded new gas purchase agreements.
We will remind that the administration of The Hague asked the European Union for the temporary exemption of Russia from sanctions, since the Dutch city could not find an alternative supplier of gas.
