In view of the crisis in the Middle East, Slovakia proposed to look for pragmatic and not ideological solutions on the basis of the European Union (EU) to ensure the supply of oil and gas to Europe and welcomes the Czech initiative to lead a European delegation to inspect the damaged Druzhba pipeline in Ukraine. On Monday evening, after the meeting of the EU Council for Energy, this was stated by the Minister of Economy Denisa Saková (Hlas-SD), informs TASR reporter.
- Slovakia demands pragmatic solutions for the supply of oil and gas in the energy sector.
- Due to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, about twenty percent of both LNG and oil fell out.
- European taxpayers paid three billion more in ten days.
- Slovakia supports the Czech mission to Ukraine to inspect the Druzhba pipeline.
- Ukraine estimates the cost of repairing the Druzhba pipeline at twenty-five million euros.
The ministers of the EU member states together with the European Commissioner for Energy Dan Jorgensen talked about how to solve the crisis that arose from the crisis in the Middle East. Sakova recalled that due to the fact that tankers do not sail through the Strait of Hormuz, the world has lost 20% of LNG and 20% of oil. The EU must deal with this, because the losses can be even higher, there is less available gas and oil in the world, and it is true that the tanker will turn around and go where they offer a higher price for the transported products.
“We have to have some kind of crisis scenario when this crisis deepens,” said Sakova, referring to Jorgensen, that European taxpayers paid an extra three billion euros in 10 days due to increased oil and gas prices. “This means that some solutions must be adopted for the future, when the crisis deepens, so that Europe is not even more affected by high energy prices,” added.
Saková claims that Slovakia is promoting the need to abandon “ideological solutions” and move to “pragmatic solutions”, look at what available oil or gas routes Europe has and face the situation “sober, practical and reasonable” in order to ensure the security of energy supplies to Europe.
At the beginning of the negotiations in Brussels, Czech Economy Minister Karel Havlíček proposed that The Czech Republic could lead an EU mission to Ukraine, which should check the situation with the damaged oil pipeline. Saková spoke in Brussels with Havlíček, as well as with the Hungarian departmental minister, and admitted that she likes this proposal very much.
“We said together that we would accept such an initiative. Some independent mediator who can get a team of technicians and engineers to assess how much damage there is to the pumping station in Ukraine. We certainly welcome this activity.” said Sakova.
She claims that she also met briefly in Brussels with the Ukrainian Minister of Energy, who assured her that Ukraine is working to eliminate the damage and that Slovakia will also be informed about this gradually. “I don’t know what the Ukrainian side will say about whether they will allow the inspection to the place that is undergoing repairs. They informed us that oil tanks exploded, that oil for Ukraine worth about nine million US dollars burned. That was all the information we received from the Ukrainian side.” she explained.
She added that over the weekend, some EU ambassadors in Kyiv received information that Ukraine was working to eliminate the consequences of the explosion at the pumping station. “And that in the near future he will provide a summary of his costs, approximately in the amount of 25 million euros, where he wants to ask the European Commission for help with financing so that they can repair the Druzhba pipeline,” Sakova said.
