Energy battle won, but fight not over, says EU energy chief

(EurActiv, 28 Feb 2023) The EU has successfully made it through the winter despite Russia’s attempts to disrupt its gas supplies, but there is still a lot of work needed to protect future energy security, said EU energy commissioner Kadri Simson on Monday (27 February).

“By many standards, Europe is now more energy secure, less dependent [on] Russia and stronger than it was a year ago,” said Simson at a press conference following a meeting of EU energy and transport ministers.

“The test is not over. We have just won the first battle and there is still a long fight ahead of us,” she added.

To further strengthen its hand, the EU needs to work on diversifying its energy supply, deploying more renewables, reducing energy demand and ensuring it has sufficient gas in storage to get through next winter, according to Simson.

The meeting of energy and transport ministers on Monday included discussions on how to protect the EU energy market and secure Europe’s supply for next winter and beyond, as well as looking at growing a competitive and climate-friendly transport system.

EU survived energy troubles in 2022

Before the invasion of Ukraine, Russia was the EU’s largest gas supplier. In 2021, it provided 45% of the bloc’s imports and almost 40% of its total consumption.

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EurActiv, 28 Feb 2023: Energy battle won, but fight not over, says EU energy chief