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The footpaths in the Acropolis of Athens after renovation. File photoHERAKLION (Greece), May 21.Citizens of Greece, interviewed by RIA Novosti, said they were dissatisfied with the latest EU energy plan aimed at abandoning Russian resources, consider it untimely and leading to price increases. alternative suppliers, an increase in the share of renewable energy and a savings regime, said the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who presented the relevant proposals to the EC on Wednesday.The Greek Foreign Ministry announced the violation of the border by Turkish fighters According to von der Leyen, the EU will increase its energy efficiency target for 2030 from 9% to 13%, and will also invest heavily in renewable energy sources. The EU intends to allocate 300 billion euros ($315.4 billion) to the initiative. The EU also released a statement on REPowerEU revealing plans to introduce «short-term behavioral changes» that could cut demand for gas and oil by 5% through conscription European countries to take a number of specific measures aimed at households and industry. Meanwhile, in Greece, people are not enthusiastic about the Brussels plan, as many struggle to cope with skyrocketing energy prices.The Prime Minister of Greece called his country the most reliable partner of the United States»I do not like it, I think that with their decisions they make our lives worse every day. Brussels does not know how hard it is for an ordinary European to cope with all these surges in food and energy prices. I myself have three children and I rent an apartment. I can barely cover the needs at the end of the month,» said Manolis, a 52-year-old bus driver. He called high gas prices the biggest problem he faces in everyday life, saying that because of them, bus fares have increased by 30-40% over the past three to four months. «With diesel fuel reaching up to 2 euros per liter, it is no longer profitable for me to work. This is a chain, the increase in fuel costs, unfortunately, is shifted on passengers, as it happens with almost every product or service lately,» Manolis complained. He is not very optimistic about the future, expecting that high fuel prices will either prevent aircraft fly, or force tour operators to charge customers two or three times more money for trips, thereby destroying hopes for a record season this summer. Nikos, a 34-year-old lawyer and political scientist, noted that the EU has actively tried to implement «green agenda».Greek attitudes towards European sanctions are evenly divided, the poll showed, «For an organization like the EU with so many member states to switch to green energy, it could take years of planning and possibly decades of execution for an effective transition,» Nikos said, adding that , in his opinion, «REpowerEU will suffer the same fate as many EU green energy initiatives; it will be gradually forgotten.» When asked what the EU should do to achieve energy security and combat high prices, Nikos replied that it must follow geopolitical considerations and move closer to the nearest region with large fossil fuel reserves, which in the case of Europe is Russia. «The EU must look at the situation realistically. Geopolitically, a superpower cannot maintain this status if it is not energy independent», Nikos stressed. This opinion was supported by Eleni, a 38-year-old microbiologist who believes that the EU should continue to receive energy from Russia and switch to green energy in the future.Media: US pressures Greece to hand over weapons to Ukraine»I don't I think now is the right moment for such decisions. There are already so many problems and I think now is not the right time for such a plan,” Eleni said. Vaggelis, a 34-year-old chef, called the initiative “another mistake the EU is making”, explaining that it could destroy it industry as people may choose not to dine out to save money on gasoline.» The EU had to do nothing but continue to get energy from who they already get — Russia, and also try to keep energy prices low so that we can finally work after COVID-19 and lead a normal daily life. Europeans can no longer endure all the extraordinary conditions that they face in their daily lives, first the pandemic and now this energy crisis, we need to take a break from all this,» he concluded.