“By mid-Could we are going to give you a proposal to part out our dependency on Russian fuel, oil and coal by 2027, backed by the mandatory nationwide and European assets,” Von der Leyen stated after an emergency summit of EU leaders referred to as to debate Russia’s conflict in Ukraine.
The European Union has promised to diversify its vitality provides earlier than, notably again in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. Little progress was made, partly as a result of Germany — Russia’s largest vitality buyer in Europe — did not wish to rock the boat with Moscow.
And earlier this week, Von der Leyen and her officers outlined plans to slash EU fuel imports from Russia this yr by discovering different suppliers, dashing up the shift to renewable vitality, lowering consumption by vitality effectivity enhancements and lengthening the lifetime of coal and nuclear energy crops that may in any other case have been shut down.
Frans Timmermans, EU local weather coverage chief, stated Tuesday that Europe may substitute 100 billion cubic meters of Russian fuel imports by the top of 2022.
“That’s two thirds of what we import from them,” he advised reporters. “Two thirds by the top of this yr. It is onerous, bloody onerous nevertheless it’s doable if we’re prepared to go additional and sooner than we have achieved earlier than,” he added.
The European Union depends upon Russia for about 40% of its pure fuel. Russia additionally provides about 27% of its oil imports, and 46% of its coal imports. Taken collectively, that commerce is price tens of billions of {dollars} a yr to Russia.
EU leaders have made clear this week that the bloc cannot but be part of the USA in banning Russian oil, due to the impression that may have on households and companies already grappling with document excessive costs. An enormous fertilizer firm this week slashed European manufacturing due to document excessive pure fuel costs.
However Europe is aware of it must act quick to scale back the potential for Moscow to make use of vitality as a weapon within the financial warfare unleashed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Russian deputy prime minister Alexander Novak stated Monday Russia may reduce off the availability of fuel to Germany by way of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline in retaliation for Berlin blocking the brand new Nord Stream 2 pipeline mission.
Talking alongside EU Council President Charles Michel and French President Emmanuel Macron after the summit in Versailles, close to Paris, von der Leyen stated the Fee would deliver ahead a proposal requiring underground fuel storage amenities to be 90% full by the start of October annually.
“This might be our insurance coverage coverage in opposition to provide disruption,” she stated.
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