As the war in Ukraine continues, European Union countries are making efforts to find common ground on how to gradually stop the bloc’s dependence on Russian gas.
Spain is pushing for another, larger gas pipeline to France, a plan that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reiterated his support for on Wednesday.
Macron said before a meeting of a large number of European countries on Thursday in Prague, that the already existing pipelines between Spain and France are operating at between fifty and sixty percent of their capacity currently.
The French president asked, “What does Europe need in the coming years, to produce more electricity on its soil, and to have a renewable and nuclear energy strategy?”
Macron added that the construction of the new pipeline will take five to eight years, indicating that France does not want to import large quantities of gas in the long term.
“I think our priority should be to have more electrical interconnection in Europe, so I support these projects more,” he added.
The World Bank believes that the crisis in Ukraine, which has been going on since late February, has “weakened the prospects for economic recovery for emerging and developing countries in Europe and Central Asia after the Corona epidemic.”
“Economic activity in Eastern Europe and Central Asia will remain severely stagnant over the next year with a minimum growth forecast of 0.3 percent in 2023 due to the continuing energy price shocks to affect the region,” the World Bank said in its updated economic report for the region.
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