European Commissioner for Energy defended that Europe cannot import “not a single molecule of energy from Russia” again
The European Commissioner for Energy said this Tuesday that the current crisis, caused by the war in the Middle East, “is not energy, it is fuel” and argued that Europe should never import “a single molecule” from Russia again.
Dan Jørgensen, who was speaking in Madrid, at the annual event of the Wind Europe association, which promotes wind farms in the European Union (EU), argued that Europe must completely end the import of Russian energy and continue investing in energy autonomy and the decarbonization of the economy.
The EU cannot import “not a single molecule of energy from Russia” again, it would be “a big mistake”, said Commissioner Dan Jørgensen, who recalled how Europe was aware of its energy dependence after Russia’s attack on Ukraine in 2022.
“This mistake cannot be made again”, he highlighted.
The commissioner highlighted how four years later, and faced with a new crisis, now due to the conflict between the USA and Israel with Iran, Europe has managed to move away from energy dependence on Russia and is more autonomous.
Dan Jørgensen stated that the current crisis is not energy, but fuel, with Europe in a better situation than in 2022 with the focus on renewables and the diversification of the origin of supply.
The commissioner considered that European energy independence will only be possible with more renewables and highlighted that the current conflict in the Middle East is costing the EU an additional 500 million euros per day because of fossil fuels.
“We need to invest heavily in our own energy sources”, he argued, highlighting the potential of wind farms.
Dan Jørgensen, who recalled that the European Commission will release a set of proposals on Wednesday in the context of the war in the Middle East, argued that a “more flexible and more integrated” system is needed to avoid wasting energy in Europe and take advantage of the full potential of renewables.
The delegate also recognized that it is important to speed up administrative processes for licensing and that “political will” is essential for faster progress.
The United States and Israel launched a military attack against Iran on February 28 and, in response, Tehran closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which around 20% of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) passes.
As a consequence, oil tanker traffic in the strait fell sharply and supply-related instability increased, putting pressure on prices.
The escalation of conflict in the Middle East, a region crucial to the global supply of fossil fuels, is causing a sharp rise in prices.
