Gas ExtractionATHENA, Mar 9Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis considers the European Union's ban on Russian gas imports unrealistic and does not know whether Russia will stop deliveries. In an interview with Bloomberg television, Mitsotakis, in particular, outlined his proposals to the European Commission essentially restart the market», to balance it and avoid excessive price fluctuations. Mitsotakis sent a letter with a six-point plan in the morning to the head of the EC, Ursula von der Leyen. The prime minister believes that the EU can, if it wants to, use funds from the emergency bond program to support the energy market.Feb 1, 15:17 InfographicRussian Gas in Europe: Top Buying CountriesInfographicView»We are facing an extreme situation. If you look at the impact of this increase in electricity bills not only in Greece but in many European countries, you will understand how much pressure our citizens are under. Of course, we subsidize electricity bills, like all European countries, but I think we need more systematic intervention. There are other ideas put forward by Spain, for example, about how to actually the electricity market is working. So I am in favor of a pan-European solution to the essence of the European problem,» the prime minister said. Mitsotakis said that the volume of gas supplies has not changed, supplies remain basically stable, but there is a fundamental problem with the market, which does not work properly. «Obviously, in the medium to long term, the commissioners are implementing a bold plan to get Europe off gas faster. But, again, this is a process that cannot be done overnight,» he said. «Therefore, I am in favor of short-term intervention in the price structure of the wholesale gas market,» the Greek prime minister noted. we already have a dynamic plan under the Fit to 55 program (EU commitment to reduce CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030 as part of the fight against climate change — ed.) on how to gradually reduce our dependence on fossil fuels, «said he. Asked if Greece wants to ban energy imports from Russia to Europe and within what time frame, Mitsotakis replied: «I don't think that an immediate ban on gas imports from Russia is a realistic proposal at the moment.» When questioned, Mitsotakis said he did not know if Moscow would stop the first gas supplies. «I don't know. If this is the case, of course, we should be prepared for this. For example, Greece imports just over 2 billion cubic meters of Russian gas. We have emergency plans. We have facilities for liquefied natural gas (LNG)» , he added.
January 26, 5:26 pmInfographicHow much gas is left in European storagesInfographicView»What you describe is obviously the worst possible scenario. We must be prepared for any eventuality. But you asked me if I believe that unilaterally, like Europe, we can refuse Russian gas overnight. And my answer is this: obviously, this is an unrealistic proposal,» the Prime Minister of Greece said. The day before, US President Joe Biden imposed an embargo on the import of Russian energy resources. Biden admitted that not all European countries will be able to follow the US in this. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. In response, Western countries have imposed another anti-Russian sanctions since 2014. As the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said earlier, the Western sanctions are very serious, Russia was preparing for them in advance. He added that they require analysis and coordination of departments in order to develop response measures that are in the interests of the Russian Federation. gas
