The claim is most popular among German economists, but is also circulating among diplomats in Brussels: the German government is primarily to blame for the EU not imposing stricter sanctions on Russia, primarily because of Germany's high dependence on Russian energy sources.

This statement received new nourishment this week: German pressure has currently led to the current situation, it was said in Brussels on Friday, that the import ban on Russian hard coal announced by EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday - as proposed by the Commission - will not be followed three, but only after four months.

Werner Mussler

Business correspondent in Brussels.

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That's not wrong, but it's not quite right either.

When the EU ambassadors of the member states discussed the fifth package of sanctions on Wednesday, it wasn't initially about the extension;

EU diplomats report that this was only incorporated “behind the scenes” into the final text of the law, which was passed on Thursday evening.

Germany played an important role, with explicit support from Austria and Hungary.

The two countries are similarly dependent on Russian energy as Germany is.

However, it is naïve to believe that only three countries are enough to change the Commission's proposal - especially since Poland and the Baltic States are explicitly calling for a tougher stance against Russia.

Countries hide behind Germany

A number of countries, such as France, Spain and Belgium, hid behind Germany.

"Each member state ensures that the sanctions do not endanger its own economy," says a diplomat.

The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell confirmed this indirectly on Friday: Dependence on Russian energy is "not just a German problem, but a pan-European problem," he said on his trip to Kyiv.

What applies to coal also applies to oil and gas.

The federal government is on the brakes in Brussels - but not alone, and not categorically.

According to the EU Commission, von der Leyen's announcement that these energy sources would now be "taken a look at" was not an empty threat.

A new package, which also includes oil, will only be proposed if broad support from the member states is foreseeable.

That could take a while because many governments are afraid of an abrupt increase in gasoline prices.

"It's a step-by-step process, and it's the same: we have to make sure that the sanctions hurt Russia more than the EU economy," says an EU official.

However, it is almost certain that the fifth package will be followed by a sixth package.

But be just as sure

The import ban on coal imposed by the EU affects a trade volume of around 8 billion euros and thus a quarter of all Russian coal exports, the Commission specified on Friday.

According to the authority, a transitional period of three months was necessary in any case given the duration of existing supply contracts.

From now on, new contracts may no longer be concluded.

Client assets frozen

The Commission reminds that the sanctions package does not only include the coal embargo.

It is just as important that with the fifth package, four Russian banks have not only been closed off from the SWIFT payment system, but have also completely frozen their customers' assets.

Almost 30 billion euros in Russian and Belarusian assets have been frozen because of the Ukraine war.

In addition to financial assets, this also included yachts, real estate and works of art.

There are also new trade restrictions.

In particular, high-tech goods worth around 10 billion euros can no longer be exported to Russia.

Other import bans amounting to 5.5 billion euros affect goods such as vodka and caviar, but also cement and wood.

25 percent of former EU exports to Russia are now blocked, and almost 20 percent of total imports.

The most recent package also extended the list of people whose assets the EU freezes and who are refused entry.

These include the two daughters of President Vladimir Putin, but also oligarchs like Oleg Deripaska and the head of Sberbank, Herman Gref.