The European Parliament has called for former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder to be blacklisted if he does not leave the board of directors of the Russian state oil company Rosneft, Reuters reported.

The draft resolution, which also explicitly mentions Karin Kneissl, the former Austrian foreign minister under the government of Sebastian Kurz, was supported by the four major political groups.

Critics say Gerhard Schröder, who sponsored the construction of more gas pipelines as Chancellor, has deepened Germany's energy dependence on Russia.

The European Parliament notes that former politicians have recently resigned from their positions in Russian firms and is urging others such as Karin Kneissl and Gerhard Schröder to do the same.

The text is non-binding, but it represents significant pressure on the EU to act against Europeans deemed close to the Kremlin.

The European Parliament calls for expanding the list of persons subject to EU sanctions to include European members of the boards of directors of large Russian companies and politicians who continue to receive Russian money.