Tali in Gdańsk: Goal is to halt shadow fleet operations in the Baltic Sea

On Tuesday, 16 June, Peeter Tali, chair of the Riigikogu's EU Committee, participated in a meeting of EU committee chairs from the Northern and Baltic States parliaments (NB8) in Gdańsk. The main focus was on energy infrastructure in the Baltic Sea region and the threat posed by Russia's shadow fleet. Tali stressed that Estonia will continue implementing measures against the shadow fleet and seeks to achieve a complete EU ban on providing maritime services to hazardous vessels.

Peeter Tali, chair of the Riigikogu's EU Committee, participated on Tuesday, 16 June in a meeting of EU and foreign affairs committee chairs from the Northern and Baltic States parliaments (NB8) held in Gdańsk, Poland.

Energy markets have changed, but prices still have an impact

The meeting focused primarily on energy infrastructure in the Baltic Sea region and energy prices. "Since Russia's full-scale attack on Ukraine, Europe's energy market has changed, and although the European Union depends on Russian gas several times less than before, its price continues to affect our electricity market," said Tali, adding that the situation is also affected by the Strait of Hormuz crisis.

Tali stressed that energy interconnections are critically important for the region's countries, and particular attention must be paid to protecting subsea infrastructure.

Shadow fleet poses an ecological threat

"Russia uses what is known as a shadow fleet to evade sanctions and transport oil, and these vessels are in very poor technical condition. This poses a risk of ecological catastrophe, and these ships serve as platforms for hybrid warfare. Our goal is to halt shadow fleet operations in the Baltic Sea," said Tali.

Estonia supports an EU-wide ban

Tali added that coastal states should not bear the burden and potential damage of halting the shadow fleet alone. "Estonia will continue implementing measures against the shadow fleet and seeks to achieve a complete ban in the European Union on providing maritime services to hazardous vessels," he said.

The meeting was attended, besides Tali, by EU committee chairs from the parliaments of Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Sweden, Germany, Finland and Denmark, as well as foreign affairs committee chairs from the parliaments of Iceland and Norway.