A blanket ban on Russian coal, imposed by the European Union, is entering into force on Monday. A sanctions package limiting the ability of European countries to import Russian coal was adopted back in April.
At the same time, the bloc is boosting its coal mining amid rising gas prices and the escalating fuel crisis. For instance, France previously noted that it may relaunch a coal-fired power plant in Saint-Avold in Moselle, despite Emmanuel Macron's promises to limit pollution by closing all such plants in the country.
Meanwhile, the German authorities adopted a law allowing for the restoration of coal-fired power plants, which had previously been scrapped for climate protection reasons.
The EU consumes around 21.8% of Russian coal exports; around 48.7 million tons annually.
