The countries of the European Union (EU) managed to reduce their dependence on Russian gas faster than planned. This was announced on October 19 by the President of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen.
When the EU stopped importing carbon from Russia in March, she said, they thought it would take several years to find a solution on how to replace Russian gas.
“But the fact is, it only took us eight months to replace two-thirds of that gas,” von der Leyen told the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
At the same time, the head of the EC pointed out that the European Union paid a big price for a large-scale switch to other foreign gas suppliers. And in order to remain competitive, Europe needs to invest in developing its own sources of energy, especially renewable energy.
Von der Leyen also noted that the EU countries filled their gas storage facilities by 92%. According to her, the European Union did not give in to pressure and coped with its task. The head of the EC called on the EU member states to show energy solidarity and make joint purchases of gas.
Earlier Wednesday, the Financial Times wrote that the EU industry is forced to reduce its production volumes due to a reduction in Russian gas supplies. According to experts, this can lead to irreversible consequences for this sector of the European economy. In numerical terms, the decline in output in Europe after the withdrawal of gas from Russia was already 10% in the steel industry, 50% in aluminum, 27% in the manufacture of silicon alloys and ferroalloys, and fertilizer production decreased by 70%.
On the same day, it was reported that the price of gas in Europe dropped to almost $1,200 per 1,000 cubic meters. m for the first time since June. According to analysts, the decrease in gas prices occurs as reserves in European underground gas storages (UGS) approach the maximum and against the backdrop of warm weather.
On October 17, Twitter users lashed out at von der Leyen for her post about progress in implementing a roadmap to resolve the energy crisis in the European Union. Readers suggested that the head of the EC resign, calling her words outrageous, and spoke out against the EU’s inefficient energy policy and anti-Russian sanctions.
On October 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the rise in energy prices was not connected with the conduct of a special military operation by Russia, the policy of the West itself was to blame for this. In addition, Putin noted that the spot pricing mechanism would bring Europe losses of €300 billion. According to him, this could have been avoided if long-term oil-pegged contracts were used.
At the same time, the Russian leader announced the possibility of creating a Turkish energy hub to supply fuel to European markets. The proposal from Putin was made after sabotage on the Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, as a result of which a gas leak began. On October 16, the head of Gazprom, Alexei Miller, said that thanks to the new Turkish hub, it would be possible to redirect to Europe all the volumes of gas that had fallen due to the terrorist attacks on Nord Stream.
Western countries have faced problems in the energy sector due to the sanctions policy against Russia, which provides for the reduction, and in the future, the refusal to import Russian energy resources. A number of countries are imposing anti-Russian sanctions against the backdrop of a special operation carried out by Moscow since February 24 to protect the Donbass, the beginning of which Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on February 24.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
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