EU Commission President: Natural gas we obtain from Russia has decreased from 41 to 9 percent

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that they were committed to ending dependence on Russian fossil fuels and would accelerate sustainable and renewable investments.

Von der Leyen made an online speech at Brussels at the opening of EU Sustainable Investment Summit.

PRIORITY ENERGY CRISIS

Von der Leyen stated that energy systems dominated by fossil fuels were unsustainable saying “Our immediate priority is to combat the energy crisis, which risks causing an economic and social crisis.” Von der Leyen pointed out that this situation had also become clear with the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war, also saying “(Russian President) Putin is using fossil fuels as a weapon against Europe.”

“EU CANNOT BE BLACKMAILED“

Arguing that Europe could not be blackmailed and that they would not compromise their values, von der Leyen said, “We are determined to end our dependence on Russian fossil fuels.” She stressed that for this they would diversify the energy supply, save money and accelerate the use of renewable energy sources.

Recalling that Europe supplied 41 percent of its natural gas from Russia last year, von der Leyen noted that this ratio had recently decreased to 9 percent. Von der Leyen reminded that they were turning to reliable partners such as the United States and Norway for gas supplies, reminding that they had filled their natural gas stores by more than 92 percent and saved 15 percent on gas consumption.