Recently, Ukrainian troops managed, with Western support, to recapture several cities in the east and also make advances in the south, which provoked unprecedented questions in Russia against President Vladimir Putin.
The EC’s anti-crisis proposal will allow member states to “cushion the blow” of the energy “shock” caused by the Russian gas cutoff, said von der Leyen in his State of the Union address to the European Parliament, based in Strasbourg, France.
Specifically, the Commission plans to put a cap on the money received by electricity generation from renewable resources, nuclear and lignite, as well as to demand a “solidarity contribution” from oil, gas and coal companies that have benefited from the exorbitant prices of the last months.
change of era
“The current electricity market is based on principles that are already obsolete and are not up to the task,” he said.
He then underlined that although in a social market economy “profits are good, in these times it is wrong to have windfall profits from war. In these times, the benefits must be distributed and channeled to those who need the most”.
The emergency proposal will be examined by the European energy ministers who will meet again on September 30, but some of the ideas launched are already generating divisions among the countries of the bloc due to their very varied energy situations.
Back
On the occasion, Von der Leyen specially invited the first lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, and honored the resistance of the Ukrainians to the Russian offensive.
“I am here, in front of you, with the conviction that, thanks to our courage and our solidarity, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin will fail and Europe will win,” said the EC president.
According to the official, Europe’s solidarity with Ukraine will continue to be “unwavering”, and for this reason she warned that the sanctions against Russia will not be lifted.
“I want to make it very clear that sanctions are here to stay. This is the time to show determination, not appeasement,” she said.
During his speech, von der Leyen announced that he would travel to kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. On that trip, he indicated, he intends to discuss in detail with Zelensky the continuity of European aid.
Future
The EU will undertake “a complete and in-depth reform” of its electricity market because “beyond the immediate crisis, we must think about the future. The current design of the electricity market no longer does justice to consumers, who should be reaping the benefits of low-cost renewable energy,” he argued.
“Therefore, it is necessary to decouple electricity prices from the dominant influence of gas,” he said, before announcing the creation of a public bank dedicated to hydrogen, with investments of some 3,000 million euros and an initiative to accumulate reserves. strategies that allow avoiding interruptions in the supply of critical raw materials for your industry.
Source: Ambito
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