According to Croatian media, in the discussions among the member states in the EU Council, which should adopt the European Commission’s proposal on the embargo on Russian oil and oil products imports by the end of the year, Croatia will seek an exemption for its refinery in Rijeka, so it could import the so-called vacuum gas oil (VGO).
VGO is a type of heavy diesel, a derivative that is obviously more profitable for some refineries in Europe to buy from Russia instead of crude oil, because VGO makes diesel production faster and easier. INA’s refinery in Rijeka, which was closed for maintenance in October and recently restarted its operation, is not directly dependent on Russia for crude oil, but it is clearly estimated that the vacuum gas oil is worth seeking an exemption on behalf of Croatia.
Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria are also seeking exemptions for their refineries, with some among them saying that they cannot adapt their refineries to refine non- Russian crude oil within a few years.
