“We won’t import a single molecule”: EU Energy Commissioner Jørgensen opposes resuming cooperation with Russia
16 March 13:51
European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jørgensen has spoken out against resuming cooperation with Russia in the energy sector, despite the crisis caused by events in the Middle East. He told reporters in Brussels that he was responding to calls by the Belgian prime minister to review relations with Russia, particularly in the energy sector, according to [Komersant], citing Radio Liberty.
“In the European Union, we have decided that we do not want to import Russian energy… It is extremely important that we stick to this course. We in Europe cannot directly help finance Russia’s brutal and illegal war. We have depended on Russian energy for too long, which has allowed Putin to blackmail us,” Jørgensen noted.
The European Commissioner added that the EU is determined to stick to its course toward independence from Russian energy sources.
“It would be a mistake to repeat what we did in the past. Therefore, the message is very clear: in the future, we will not import even a single molecule from Russia,” the top EU official assured.
Commenting on the impact of the crisis in the Middle East on the EU energy market, Jørgensen noted that there are no supply security issues: this region imports minimal amounts of energy resources from countries currently at war. At the same time, Europe is facing the global consequences of energy shortages, such as rising prices.
“We are well aware that we need not only to monitor the situation—which we are, of course, doing—but also to prepare, as the situation could escalate further. We must also be ready to implement short-term measures to assist member states in such a situation,” Jørgensen stated.
The European Commissioner noted that the increase in the share of renewable energy sources in Europe, as well as greater interconnection of energy systems, will contribute to lower prices.
