BERLIN, November 12. /TASS/. Germany’s Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action believes that SEFE (Securing Energy for Europe GmbH), which before being nationalized by the German government was known as Gazprom Germania and was a subsidiary of Gazprom, could terminate its gas import contract under the Yamal LNG project by invoking force majeure, Munchner Merkur newspaper reported citing a statement from the ministry.
"According to the German government, both the REPowerEU directive (a program aimed at ending the EU’s dependence on Russian gas — TASS) and the 19th sanctions package mean that SEFE must stop purchasing LNG under the old Yamal contract and may invoke force majeure," the ministry said.
As Munchner Merkur noted, the German authorities have thus found a way to terminate the agreement ahead of schedule.
Earlier, the EU included in its 19th sanctions package a full ban on the import of LNG under short-term contracts effective April 25, 2026, and under long-term contracts starting January 1, 2027. The ban prohibits the purchase, import, or transfer - directly or indirectly — of LNG produced in or exported from Russia.