Wednesday 20th October 2021
Von der Leyen surprised
EU: Gazprom ignores higher demand
Europe is groaning under the heated gas market. The Russian supplier Gazprom complies with the terms of the contract with the EU, but does not react differently than usual to a higher demand, complains EU Commission chief von der Leyen. The background could be the dispute over Nord Stream 2.
According to EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the Russian energy giant Gazprom has not recently responded to the increased demand from the EU. “While the company Gazprom has kept its long-term contracts with us, it has not responded to higher demand as in previous years,” she said in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
The whole world was affected by the rise in energy prices, but there was “something specific” in the European situation. Von der Leyen did not comment on possible reasons for the lack of reaction to the increased demand from the EU. Critics of the Russian energy giant suspect that this could try to force a rapid commissioning of the controversial Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 2.
A permit is still pending for the line between Russia and Germany. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently said that deliveries via Nord Stream 2 would ease the heated gas market and lower prices. The dramatic rise in energy prices will be the topic of the EU summit this Thursday and Friday.
Von der Leyen said the current situation shows that Europe is currently too dependent on gas and gas imports. “We import 90 percent of the gas we use. And that makes us vulnerable,” she said. According to von der Leyen, the situation could be improved through greater diversification of supply sources and an acceleration of the transition to clean energy.