“So that you don’t have to distribute the norm”: how the EU wants to eliminate gas dependence on Russia

The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, accused Russia of allegedly using gas as pressure on the EU countries.

He wrote about this on his Twitter page. 

“(Russian President Vladimir.

) Putin uses the gas supplied to us as a means of pressure, and we must be ready,” Borrell said.

He attached to the post a link to his interview with the Televisión Española television company, published on July 28, in which he calls on the EU countries to immediately save energy resources in order to completely free themselves from Russian energy dependence in the future.

“It seems to me important that we immediately start saving, so that we don’t have to use restraining methods, we don’t have to distribute the norm,” Borrell emphasized.

“We decided that we would free ourselves from such a strong energy dependence on Russia: first from coal, then from oil and gas over a longer period in order to adapt.

We will do it, and Russia knows it.”

Recall that on July 26, the EU countries approved a plan for a voluntary reduction in gas consumption by 15% from August 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023 "compared to their average consumption over the past five years."

At the same time, the plan includes the possibility of moving to the second, mandatory phase.

“The rules of the Council (of the European Union.

) also provide for the possibility of declaring a “union alarm” on the security of supplies, in which case a reduction in gas demand will become mandatory.

The aim of reducing gas consumption is to build up stocks before winter to prepare for possible disruptions in gas supplies from Russia, which constantly uses energy supplies as a weapon.

At the same time, according to Reuters, the EU measures to reduce gas consumption by 15% are designed to "fill storage and release fuel for distribution (between EU countries. -

) during a supply crisis."

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“EU legislation obliges member states to send gas to a neighboring state in the event that households and critical institutions like hospitals are threatened with an acute shortage.

In order to do this, governments are preparing bilateral agreements, ”reports Reuters.

However, as the agency notes, so far only six such agreements have been concluded, signed between eight countries, including between Germany and Austria, Estonia and Latvia, as well as Italy and Slovenia.

Detrimental impact

Meanwhile, according to Eurostat, the energy crisis in Europe is already having a negative impact on the EU economy.

According to the agency's preliminary estimate, annual inflation in 19 eurozone countries (out of 27) again renewed its historical maximum, accelerating from 8.6% in June to 8.9% in July.

At the same time, according to Eurostat, the increase in inflation is most influenced by the rise in prices for energy resources.

In addition, in Germany, which is the leader of the European economy, the public debt reached record levels last year - about €2.32 trillion.

This was reported by the press service of the Federal Statistical Office of Germany.

“This corresponds to a per capita debt of €27,922. This is €1,782 more than at the end of 2020 (€26,140),” the agency said in a statement.

According to Bloomberg, the energy crisis has led to the fact that Germany is losing its leading position in Europe.

“For a decade, Berlin wielded moral and financial authority in the European Union, steered policy and played the bad cop role when it came to the weaker southern economies.

The energy crisis upset this balance.

While Berlin is still recovering from shock, the south of Europe is becoming more assertive, ”the agency’s material says.

“Harming EU countries a lot”

According to Vyacheslav Kulagin, director of the Center for the Study of World Energy Markets at the Institute for Energy Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences, reducing the consumption of Russian gas by the European Union to a minimum will hit the economy of the EU countries, their social sphere and political stability.

“At the same time, there is an understanding in the European Union that it will not be possible to calmly survive the coming winter without Russian gas.

Therefore, Borrell talks about a gradual reduction in gas dependence on Russia, but once again unreasonably accuses Moscow of using gas as a means of pressure, ”the expert said in a commentary to RT.

“Now the EU simply needs Russian blue fuel.

Due to the reduction in the volume of cheap Russian energy carriers, their price is growing, and the population of the European Union is forced to pay much more money for heating, hot water, fuel and food than before, ”Kulagin explained.

As a result, the costs of EU residents are increasing, and their purchasing power is significantly reduced, the analyst added.

At the same time, Germany, for which the implementation of EU plans to reduce energy dependence on Russia is most sensitive, “is caught in political pincers,” Kulagin believes.

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• © Olivier Matthys

“In Germany, they could give the green light to the launch of Nord Stream 2, which would solve the lion’s share of the problems with the lack of gas, but Brussels is opposed to meeting Russia halfway in this way.

Although the EU leadership will help its citizens with this.

In such conditions, Berlin has to maneuver between internal problems and political tasks.

And it is becoming increasingly difficult to do this, ”the analyst believes.

According to Kulagin, the work of a number of German industries is already in question, since it is easier for many energy-intensive enterprises to close due to the crisis than to continue to function.

The expert also noted that Brussels itself fails to find a balance between its own political desires and the economic needs of the EU countries.

“Despite loud calls to buy gas not from Russia, the EU still has no serious alternatives.

Blue fuel will not come from nowhere, it must be obtained somewhere.

But Norway is already working at full capacity, deliveries from Azerbaijan are only within the framework of previously planned projects, North Africa is also unable to provide more gas.

And projects for the supply of LNG are being implemented for a long time, all this will take several years, and besides, serious investments are required, ”the expert stated.

A similar position is shared by Vladimir Olenchenko, senior researcher at the Center for European Studies at IMEMO RAS.

According to him, now the European Union simply has nowhere to get additional volumes of gas, except for Russia.

“The fact is that almost the entire array of blue fuel in the world is contracted for many years to come.

And in this regard, the question arises: what do the EU hope for?

All their dreams of alternative suppliers who supposedly will quickly be able to supply their own instead of Russian gas are nothing more than self-deception and an attempt to throw dust in the eyes of their own population, ”the analyst said in an interview with RT.

According to Olenchenko, not only the prices for heating and hot water in the EU, but also the operation of a number of industrial enterprises depend on the supply of Russian gas to Europe.

“In particular, these are chemical processing plants, organizations for the production of nitrogen fertilizers.

The lack of the required volume of Russian gas leads to a decrease in the number of goods produced, which means that the competitiveness of such European companies in the world market is falling,” the expert said.

Borrell's statements about the need to reduce the consumption of Russian gas and blue fuel as a whole "contradict economic logic," Olenchenko said.

“Such a reduction in the use of resources means a slowdown in the economy, and this, in turn, leads to a decrease in the income of the population.

That is, we are talking about a recession.

But Borrell motivates these changes by the need to eliminate dependence on Russia, thus trying to mask the mistakes of Brussels in the energy sector, which led to the current crisis, ”the analyst said.

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• © Grant Faint

At the same time, according to Olenchenko, in the current situation, only some EU countries are ready to share fuel, and therefore the possibility of a forced reduction in gas consumption by 15% for the eurozone countries cannot be ruled out.

“We can expect any steps from Brussels, even if they greatly harm the EU countries.

Such a measure will lead to even greater disunity between member countries and an increase in social tension in society.

The population will be met with incomprehension by the fact that they will have to limit their consumption to please other EU countries.

Ultimately, all this will lead not only to a contraction in the economy, but also to an increase in protest moods, ”the analyst concluded.