Today, Tuesday, the Europeans began a meeting in the Czech Republic to discuss emergency measures to confront the energy crisis, at a time when they expressed their desire to cooperate with Algeria in this field, while Germany expressed its hope to pass the winter crisis safely.
An informal meeting of energy ministers in the European Union was launched in the Czech capital, Prague, to discuss emergency measures to help families and companies face the energy crisis.
The meeting is scheduled to last for two days, and the ministers will discuss strengthening the strategy of switching to hydrogen, preparations for the upcoming winter season, in addition to structural reforms in the electricity market.
European countries have so far failed to reach a consensus on capping the prices of wholesale gas imports, despite the demands of 15 countries, amid opposition from Germany and other countries who fear that supplies will be affected by such a decision.
For his part, German Chancellor Olaf Schultz said in his speech to the German Industry Association for Mechanical Engineering that his country has established an infrastructure that will enable it to import gas from other regions of the world at any time, noting that he does not expect to resume importing gas from Russia soon.
"Implicitly and we will ensure that the nuclear power plants in southern Germany can continue to operate," he added, expressing the hope that all these measures together would "contribute to a safe passage of this winter."
Schulz said that Germany would discuss, within the framework of the Group of Seven and the European Union, the launch of a negotiating process that would reduce gas prices to a reasonable level.
Searching for an alternative
In Algeria, European Union Energy Commissioner Kadri Simpson said that the Union has ended its dependence on Russian gas.
In her speech at the Gas and Renewable Energies Forum in Algeria, she stressed that after the turmoil in the field of energy, it is natural to search for new and reliable partners, and indicated that she had spoken with Algerian officials to enhance long-term cooperation.
She said, "Cooperation in the field of gas is the first link in our partnership. We in the European Union have ended our dependence on Russian gas because Russia is no longer a reliable partner as it used energy to destabilize. Therefore, our strategy in the Union has changed in this regard."
For his part, Algerian Energy Minister Mohamed Arkab said that his country prefers that cooperation with Europe in the field of energy in the future be within a comprehensive and mutually beneficial vision.
During his inauguration of the second business forum on gas and renewable energies in the Algerian capital, Arkab stressed that Algeria's role should not be limited to being the traditional and main source of energy for Europe, but rather it should go beyond the fields of electricity, hydrogen, technology and knowledge.