Victor Jack

EXC: For months, experts have warned that Moscow’s sanctions-dodging shadow fleet of murky oil tankers was an environmental and maritime accident waiting to happen. Now, it appears those accidents have already long been taking place. 1/10

NEW: The EU will next week propose to keep targets for refilling winter gas storage facilities mandatory. That’s despite overriding pleas by countries like Germany to make the goals more flexible. pro.politico.eu/news/194846

NEW: EU countries will discuss a proposal that casts doubt on a suggested 2026 deadline for the bloc to end short-term Russian gas contracts. pro.politico.eu/news/201485

NEW: The EU is seeking to ban LNG terminal services for Russian customers in its plan to end its reliance on Moscow, a draft text shows. It also wants customs officials to make countries like Serbia give evidence their gas exports do not come from Russia. pro.politico.eu/news/200349

NEW: The EU's two biggest buyers of Russian LNG are refusing to endorse Brussels' plan to ban Moscow’s imports. France and Belgium argue they need more reassurances on the economic and legal consequences of the move before making a decision. politico.eu/article/eus-to…

NEW: EU countries are considering demanding that Brussels revisit methane emission rules being swept into trade negotiations with the U.S. That comes after Trump gave the EU a temporary reprieve from imposing blanket 50% tariffs on the bloc. pro.politico.eu/news/eu-countr…

NEW: EU countries are considering ordering the Commission to prepare a detailed impact assessment of its upcoming Russian gas ban. Despite a large majority of capitals backing the plan, Hungary and Slovakia remain fiercely opposed. pro.politico.eu/news/199022

The EU will suggest measures to forbid companies from signing new oil and gas contracts with Russia in an upcoming plan to end the bloc’s reliance on Moscow’s imports, according to a senior EU official. w/@ZiaWeise pro.politico.eu/news/197505

The EU is planning to slash natural gas purchase targets — even as U.S. President Donald Trump insists that buying more gas is the only way to end his trade war. politico.eu/article/donald…

NEW: EU countries provisionally agree on loosening gas storage rules, per diplomats. pro.politico.eu/news/eu-countr…

Since 2023, the Baltic Sea has seen at least 11 subsea cables taken out by suspected sabotage. That poses a growing conundrum for EU govts in an evolving hybrid war with Russia — and experts warn it could just be the beginning. Reed our deep dive here: politico.eu/article/russia…

The European Commission is considering revising landmark energy legislation as part of its drive to ease requirements on the EU’s struggling businesses. That might form part of a future "omnibus" simplification package, the people said. next.politico.eu/news/196281

🔴 German conservative MPs float the option of reopening Nord Stream Could Berlin really turn back? With @SahlbergJohanna for @POLITICOEurope 👇 politico.eu/article/german…

The EU is discussing a new plan that would harness Ukraine’s mammoth underground gas storage capacity to resolve a long-standing feud between Kyiv and Slovakia. But experts are skeptical it would work without subsidies. pro.politico.eu/news/195781

EU energy chief Dan Jørgensen needs more power to develop traditional nuclear plants in addition to next-generation small reactors. That's according to a draft statement from the bloc’s pro-atomic alliance seen by POLITICO. pro.politico.eu/news/195664

And now the backtrack: In a spectacular U-turn, the EU will present its proposal to extend mandatory gas-filling targets on Wednesday after all, according to a Commission official, reversing an earlier decision to postpone it to next month. pro.politico.eu/news/194984

The EU will likely postpone a proposal to extend mandatory gas-filling targets until Apr. 9, shelving its previous plans to unveil the plan on Wednesday. pro.politico.eu/news/194978

Germany’s social cohesion is at stake unless it restricts Chinese wind turbine imports, a government-backed analysis seen by POLITICO warns. Beijing could delay projects, harvest data and remotely shut down turbines if given access to wind farms, it says. politico.eu/article/china-…

Climate-friendly lawmakers and countries accused the EU of betraying its green commitments after Brussels unveiled a new proposal to invest in overseas gas projects. That could be inconsistent with the EU's upcoming 2040 climate targets, they say. politico.eu/article/donald…

In 2023, the EU wasted the equivalent of 0.5% of its total power consumption — as its industry increasingly struggled under the weight of high energy prices. Now, that's prompting calls for Brussels to do more to preserve energy via storage technologies. politico.eu/article/eu-ene…

NEW: The EU's pro-nuclear alliance wants a greater role for atomic power in Brussels' upcoming green industrial plans, per a draft statement. Among other things, the 11 countries say they want EU support for industries signing long-term nuclear contracts. pro.politico.eu/news/194291