Commission delays plan to end Russian energy imports, commissioner says it will be announced soon

Brussels, 19 March (CTK) – The European Commission had originally been expected to present its „roadmap to end imports of Russian energy“ by the end of March, but its publication has been postponed. Energy Commissioner Dan Jørgensen said experts are continuing to work intensively on the document, but everything needs to be arranged so that ending dependence on Russian gas does not harm European Union citizens. Jørgensen made the remarks in an interview with journalists from the European Newsroom (ENR) project, which brings together news agencies from across Europe and of which CTK is a member. The Commission will publish the roadmap within a few weeks, he said.

„I can’t give you a date, but it will be soon. We are working hard on it every day. We have to take a lot of factors into account; above all, we want to make sure it does not harm our citizens,“ the Danish commissioner said.

He rejected speculation that the postponement was due to current efforts to negotiate a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia.

„The plan has been postponed, but our efforts are continuing all the time. It is complicated, though. If it were easy, we would have done it three years ago,“ Jørgensen said.

He said he was in close contact with all the member states that would be affected by a complete halt to Russian gas supplies. „We don’t want to postpone it for months; we want to do it as quickly as possible. Give us a few more weeks,“ he added.

At the end of February, the European Commission presented a plan to reduce energy costs for businesses and citizens, complete the Energy Union, attract investment and improve preparedness for potential energy crises. The plan aims to save Europeans 45 billion euros (CZK 1.1 trillion) this year, rising to 260 billion euros (CZK 6.5 trillion) annually by 2040.

„High energy prices are damaging our ability to compete. We pay three or four times as much for energy as our competitors in the United States. At the same time, our citizens are struggling to pay their energy bills, which is unacceptable. We have to bring energy prices down significantly,“ the energy commissioner said at a press conference at the time.

„But this is also about security. We are still buying Russian gas in the European Union, indirectly helping (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to finance the war,“ he added.

According to Jørgensen, Mario Draghi’s report on the future of European competitiveness, published last year, mentions „energy more than 700 times“. The efforts have focused on lowering prices and reducing dependence on Russia from the outset, the commissioner noted. „On the one hand, we have already succeeded: we have moved from 45 per cent dependence to 13 per cent today. On the other hand, Europe has still spent more money on Russian fossil fuels than we have provided in support for Ukraine,“ he added in Tuesday’s interview. That money, he said, could have bought 2,400 new F-35 fighter jets. „So we have to do more,“ he added.

As part of its Action Plan for Affordable Energy, the European Commission plans, among other things, to address every component of energy bills. It will issue recommendations to member states to reduce national taxes on electricity and make it easier for consumers to switch to cheaper suppliers. It will also focus on speeding up permitting procedures in the renewable energy sector, which have so far taken many years. Simple projects should take no more than six months to obtain a permit, while more complex ones should take no more than two years, the commissioner said.

The Danish member of the Commission also stressed the importance of better interconnection between energy networks. „If we compared it to transport, we would need 200 motorways, but we have only 100. And of those 100, we use only 50, so the first step should be to make better use of the interconnections we already have,“ Jørgensen said. Massive investment in grids and interconnectors will also be needed in the coming years, he said.

Jørgensen recently met with new US Energy Secretary Chris Wright, who heads a fossil fuel extraction company. „We do not agree on the role of renewables or the importance of international cooperation in tackling climate change; that is clear,“ the commissioner said.

For example, the United States has withdrawn from the Paris climate agreement for a second time under President Donald Trump. „On the other hand, we must be grateful to several countries that helped us during the energy crisis. Without Norway and, above all, the US, we would have been in much more serious trouble,“ he added.

There is currently particular discussion of buying larger quantities of US liquefied natural gas (LNG), which could replace the Russian LNG currently imported. „The US is the largest exporter of LNG to Europe, so we don’t have many other alternatives. What matters, in my view, is that even at a time when relations with the United States are, diplomatically speaking, a little more strained, we are able to discuss these issues,“ the commissioner added.