The EU accelerates work to connect Ukraine and Moldova to the European electricity system and "avoid blackouts"

• Ukraine Geopolitical shake-up on the world stage: Europe grows, Switzerland leaves neutrality and the Scandinavians move closer to NATO

The EU believes that although Russia approves

response to the sanctions agreed these days, and tightens with gas and oil, the coming months will not be marked by an

.

"Our current assessment is that the EU can get through winter safely," European Energy Commissioner Kadri Simson said Monday after an

.

The objective of the meeting, the main topic on the agenda, was Ukraine.

And the result, a go-ahead from all parties to speed up technical and political work as much as possible, so that

can hook up to the European electricity system as soon as possible and get off the Russian one.

Among the support measures announced, the

for its planes, as well as, in an unusual gesture,

to feed Kiev, and not the other way around.

"We are going to continue working to give Ukraine gas, because it needs immediate help," said the commissioner, who appeared before the media wearing a traditional Ukrainian blouse.

Since February 24, Ukraine has been

.

"It is operating in isolation, which can increase the risk of blackouts," warned the French minister, who coordinated the meeting.

That connection with the EU was scheduled for next year, but the invasion has triggered the urgency.

Tests have been done these days but there is work to do.

In fact, the

.

The technicians have explained that all the tests went well (except reconnecting to the Russian system, which has not been tried).

Ukraine right now relies on its own production, but is in danger from harassment of the facilities.

"It is not a matter of hours, but days or weeks," the policy has said about the possibility of an emergency link to the European system.

Entso-E, the agency in charge, believes that it is possible, but

what effect such a connection would have on European capabilities.

The French presidency has confirmed that "the member states have clearly given the signal to seek synchronization with the Ukrainians, but there are stages to go through so that it is done in a completely safe way".

It is a job that

but the parties agree to speed it up as much as possible.

These days there are short, medium and long term debates.

Ministers and institutions admit that "the Russian invasion has

", chief among them being Russia's energy dependency.

It is something evident for decades, but approached with a small mouth.

Saying, on paper, that it must be reduced, but doing little in practice.

"The war against Ukraine

for Europe's security architecture, but also for our energy system," Simson urged.

Governments believe that "a complete cut off of supply would be a challenge", but they believe that it will not come to that.

That the "weather forecasts are positive" and that "we are still at 30% of storage capacity", but

.

"We cannot exclude Moscow from retaliating."

That is why the EU has explained that tomorrow's meeting of the International Energy Association will seek a debate on the possibility of making use of strategic oil reserves, to try to lower the market price.

There is some consensus at the European level, but Paris has confirmed that it prefers to seek a

.

Next week, the Commission will present its new proposal on energy prices, and Spain's proposals remain untouched.

Vice President Teresa Ribera has been in Brussels, but the institutions and most of the partners

.

"With an international scenario marked by a worsening of high energy prices resulting from the situation in Ukraine, Spain has reiterated the need to adopt exceptional and extraordinary measures to deal with an exceptional situation, within the European framework, at the same time that coordinated progress is being made in the evolution and

", says the note from the Government after the meeting. "That is why we welcome the Commission's announcement to present a new Toolbox Communication, with extraordinary measures that must be able to be applied quickly, as soon as possible", added the vice president, with in relation to the announcement of the Community Executive to advance more in relation to the measures proposed in October.

Improve interconnections

So, the reaction in Madrid was total indignation, considering that this Toolbox, toolbox or catch-all was insufficient, a bad joke, because it only came to order and remember the things that could be done at the national level.

But without going into the background or allowing things like those who want to go separately, "be bold", can

a temporary basis "Allow each country to adapt the formation of the price of electricity to its specific situation, due to the mix, the sources and the level of interconnection", requested our country.

The Vice President reiterated the need to improve the interconnections of the Peninsula and defended, once again, that "the

from the volatility of natural gas prices in emergency situations, for example, through a limit to the price of electricity produced with natural gas and a mechanism that guarantees the subsequent recovery of the costs of gas combined cycles Ribera has also called for rapid mechanisms that recover the

of inframarginal exchanges for consumers.

And he trusts that, this time, with the Russian threat, skyrocketing inflation and the risk of a harsher winter, the Commission and the most skeptical countries, with Germany and the Netherlands in the lead, will allow more "boldness".

At least a little.

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