The European Union will be able to meet its energy needs without Russian gas even in the case of a complete stoppage of transit through Ukraine. This was stated by the European Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, during the report on the state of EU energy security. According to her, member states started preparing for such a scenario two years ago, and recently efforts have been intensified.
In general, the EU's dependence on gas from the Russian Federation decreased from 45% in 2021 to 15% last year. At the same time, European countries are still following the plan to phase out Russian gas without jeopardizing energy security, Simson said.
The European Commissioner also admitted that energy prices in the EU remain too high. This affects Europe's competitiveness, especially vis-à-vis China and the US.
As a reminder, the agreement between Gazprom and Naftogaz on the transit of Russian gas through Ukraine expires at the end of 2024. Kyiv declared its unwillingness to continue it.
