BRUSSELS: The transitional period for the bloc's embargo concluded at midnight on Wednesday, and as of Thursday, member states of the Europeon Union (EU) are no longer permitted to import coal from Russia.

The embargo, which was a component of the fifth round of measures adopted by the EU in April, will go into effect on Thursday.

EU nations had agreed on a 120-day transitional period to allow the sector time to adjust to the import embargo. The objective is to harm Russia's economy as it invades Ukraine.

The coal embargo might cost Russia almost 8 billion euros (USD 8.25 billion) a year, the European Commission estimated in April.

Despite the restriction, the German group of coal importers, VDKi, does not anticipate supply constraints in Europe because coal is still available on the global market.  In the future, the US, South Africa, Australia, Indonesia, and Colombia will be the key suppliers.

The EU first imposed sanctions on Russian energy supplies with the coal embargo.  Later penalties included a broad restriction on Russian oil exports, which the bloc agreed to do in order to put more pressure on Moscow.

Several nations that are particularly dependent on Russian oil, notably Hungary, will be allowed to continue getting pipeline supplies from Moscow when the oil embargo goes into effect at the end of the year. However, Russian oil transports to Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia have been stopped, according to Transneft, the operator of the Russian pipeline.

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