EU sanctions do not apply to Russia's Rosatom - European Commission

BRUSSELS. Aug 22 (Interfax) - Russia's nuclear power sector is not under the European Union's sanctions, and the EU's restrictions do not apply to the state atomic energy corporation Rosatom, European Commission Spokesperson Francesca Dalboni said.

"The EU has adopted 14 packages of sanctions that include measures in the energy sector, of course. But the nuclear energy is not included in our measures, and Rosatom is not a sanctioned entity," Dalboni said at a press briefing in Brussels on Thursday, when asked to comment on the fact that revenues generated by Uranium One, Rosatom's subsidiary in the Netherlands, go to Russia's budget.

Dalboni said the EU's sanctions are always endorsed unanimously by the member states, which is within their competence, and she was not in a position to comment on the Council of the EU's decisions.

European Commission Chief Spokesperson Eric Mamer added that, as concerns sanctions, "it is always a question of balance in terms of ensuring that the effects on Russia are bigger than the effects on the European Union in different fields [...] of sanctions."

The EU is working hard to ensure a "maximum degree of independence when it comes to energy" in keeping with the EU's REPowerEU energy independence plan, and the EU's dependence on Russia "has diminished drastically," he said.

"You need to remember that energy infrastructure exists for a long time and is in use for a long time. So, in particular, when you are discussing a certain type of energy such as nuclear, you don't simply switch off it from one day to the next," Mamer said.