EU countries will continue to pay for Russian gas in euros – Pompili

PARIS (Reuters) – French energy and environment minister Barbara Pompili said on Monday that European Union countries will continue to pay in euros or in dollars for Russian gas contracts that have been signed in those currencies.

“We are all in agreement that we will continue to pay in euros and we will not allow contracts to be changed unilaterally,” Pompili said in Brussels at an emergency meeting of EU energy ministers.

The European Commission is expected to finalise on Tuesday work on the next, and sixth package of EU sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine, which would include a ban on buying Russian oil, exports of which are a major source of Moscow’s revenue.

(Reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by GV De Clercq and Louise Heavens)