Status: 09.03.2022 10:55 a.m
EU Commission President von der Leyen is optimistic: the EU could reduce its energy dependency on Russia faster than expected. This winter the gas would be enough. At the same time, she calls for saving energy.
Due to the severe tensions with Russia, the EU wants to become independent of Russian gas as quickly as possible. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen believes that the EU can reduce its energy dependency faster than previously thought. First of all, the EU states have already bought so much LNG gas that they can get by without Russian gas this winter, said von der Leyen joint morning magazine from ARD and ZDF.
Energy saving and renewable energies
But: Von der Leyen is also calling on citizens to save energy in order to make Europe independent of gas, oil and coal from Russia more quickly. Everyone can contribute to this, said the CDU politician. In addition, there would be energy saving programs for the economy as well as new delivery routes and the expansion of renewable energies. If you combine everything, “then we can become independent of Russian gas much more quickly,” says von der Leyen confidently.
“Maximum effect on Putin – no harm on us”
Von der Leyen also defended the European Union’s line of continuing to import energy from Russia despite the war in Ukraine – while the US imposed an import ban on Russian oil.
The sanctions against Moscow have been coordinated among the western allies, said the head of the commission. The US could more easily forego oil supplies than the EU. “We always have to keep in mind that oil prices don’t escalate too much, don’t rise too much, because that in turn would weaken us,” she said. It’s a matter of fine-tuning this in order to “achieve the maximum effect on President Putin, but not cause any damage to us.”