The President of the Government affirms that for Putin the EU “is a threat”, while the head of the EC says that “democracy must be defended at all costs”
The President of the European Commission (EC), Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, affirmed this Saturday that the European Union has to “get rid” of dependence on Russian gas and coal. “To do this we have to diversify our energy sources, guarantee energy efficiency and invest heavily in renewable energies,” said the senior community official after meeting at the Palacio de la Moncloa with the head of the Spanish Executive.
The First Vice President and Minister for Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño, also participated in that meeting, together with the Third Vice President and Minister for the Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera. According to Von der Leyen, Spain “is leading these efforts” to reduce energy dependence, since it has an “impressive” percentage of renewable sources.
“They have great energy capacity and enormous expertise and experience in the field of renewable energy. Spain will play an important role in Europe’s energy supply”, insisted the head of the EC. However, the Prime Minister pointed out that they also discussed other economic issues. “We need to get ahead in some key technology sectors. I have no doubt that the EU will emerge stronger from these challenges », she said, according to Europa Press.
In any case, the Russian invasion of Ukraine was the focus of much of the meeting between Sánchez and Von der Leyen, who later made a joint appearance before the media. Thus, the head of the Spanish Executive pointed out that Putin considers the European Union “a threat” and the existence of a wide area characterized by freedoms.
He also added that the Russian president has underestimated the resistance of the Ukrainian people. The head of the Kremlin, affirmed the Prime Minister, “has made two strategic errors, thinking that Ukraine was going to merely surrender to the invasion and that Europe was going to be divided.” Regarding the first, he stressed that “Ukrainians have shown great determination defending their freedom”, while regarding the second, he valued that “today Europe is more united than ever in the actions against Putin, in solidarity with Ukraine and in the response that will give Europe the economic impact that the war will cause.
refugee reception
Sánchez also underlined the united response of the 27 in imposing sanctions on Russia for its brutal military aggression and insisted that Spain is willing to accept refugees. In this sense, Von der Leyen stressed that all Ukrainians who arrive in community territory fleeing the war will receive a one-year residence permit, which will allow them access to the labor market, health care and schooling for minors, among other “many things they need.”
The president of the European Commission regretted that there are already 1.3 million refugees due to the “difficult situation created by Putin’s war” in Ukraine, although she warned that in the coming days this number “will continue to increase”. In this context, she recalled that the EU has provided 500 million euros in a first tranche to help the Ukrainian people. “Democracy must be defended at all costs,” she stressed.
#Sánchez #Von #der #Leyen #rid #Russias #energy #dependency