Sikela: Europe should reduce its dependence on Russia as soon as possible, unity and solidarity are the best weapons against Putin

The new drastic cut in gas supplies announced by the Russian Gazprom is "another proof" that Europe needs to reduce its dependence on Russia as soon as possible, the Czech Minister of Energy, whose country is the current chairman of the EU (European Union), said today.

"Unity and solidarity are the best weapons we have against (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and I'm sure we'll show that today," Jozef Sikela said in Brussels ahead of the start of meetings with EU colleagues to agree on a plan to reduce gas consumption in the Union.

Gazprom announced yesterday that it will drastically reduce to 33 million cubic meters the daily delivery of Russian gas to Europe via the North Stream One gas pipeline.

As a result, deliveries will be reduced to about 20 percent of the gas pipeline capacity, from the earlier also reduced 40 percent. Gazprom cited as the reason the need to work on the overhaul of one turbine while the repaired part of the other has not yet arrived.

Last Sunday, the European Commission proposed that EU countries reduce gas consumption by 15 percent from August in order to overcome the decrease in Russian deliveries and get through the winter without major difficulties. Until last year, Russia provided about 40 percent of gas imports to the EU.

The Brussels plan, which is to be discussed today by the representatives of the member countries, foresees that each country will do its best to reduce its gas consumption by at least 2022 percent between August 2023 and March 15 compared to the average of the past five years in the same period.

It would be on a voluntary basis, and in the event of a severe shortage, the alarm mechanism would be activated to make a 15 percent reduction in consumption binding in the 27 member states of the Union.

That plan met with sharp criticism from several countries, including Poland, Spain, Italy, Greece and Portugal.

Diplomats from the XNUMXs worked on the Commission's proposal and fundamentally changed the text in the hope that an agreement will be reached today among the member states, according to the text, which Agence France-Presse had access to.

According to the new proposal, the Council of the EU, which represents the European twenty-seven, and not the European Commission, decides on the possible implementation of binding provisions.

The 15 percent target would also be adapted to the specific situation of each country thanks to a series of exemptions, where the level of storage achieved and the possibility of exporting the saved gas to other countries are taken into account.

"Member countries have different problems, but in the end I expect that we will reach a political agreement," said today the European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, upon arriving at the meeting.