MOSCOW, February 11 Attempts by the European Union to limit purchases of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia will lead to a sharp jump in prices, for Brussels this is tantamount to “shooting yourself in the foot,” said Artem Studennikov, director of the First European Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry, in an interview.
“All these attempts are tantamount to shooting yourself in the foot.” The refusal to fully cooperate with Russia in the energy sector has had a negative impact on industrial production, the competitiveness of enterprises, export opportunities and the purchasing power of the population. Europe needs gas,” Studennikov said.
He cited the example of Belgium, which imports up to 80 percent of energy resources.
“Many European energy companies still consider gas supplies from Russia as one of the options for diversifying imports in the face of increasing EU dependence on American LNG,” the diplomat emphasized.
Last December, the EU Council and the European Parliament reached a preliminary agreement on a new Regulations for the Internal Energy Market, which sets a number of common rules for the European market for renewable energy, natural gas and hydrogen, in particular the rules are expected to allow EU countries to impose restrictions on the supply of natural gas, including LNG, from Russia and Belarus.
The new legislation will also include measures to promote the introduction of renewable and low-carbon gases (hydrogen and biomethane) into the European energy market and help reduce the use of fossil fuels. In addition, it aims to expand the existing mechanism for aggregating supply and conducting joint purchases of natural gas by EU countries. This mechanism does not provide for the purchase of Russian fuel.
The preliminary agreement of the EU Council and the European Parliament must be confirmed by the formal approval of the bill by both EU institutions.
This bill was presented by the European Commission in December 2021 as part of the package to achieve climate neutrality Fit for 55, which aims to modernize EU climate and energy legislation to reduce greenhouse emissions across the community by at least 55 percent by 2030 and make the EU climate neutral by 2050.
Read the full text of the interview with Artem Studennikov >>