Russian energy phase-out: “Finish the job”

Today, after a request by the Greens/EFA Group, the European Parliament will debate the Russian energy phase-out, Nord Stream and the EU’s energy sovereignty. Following the Commission’s presentation of the REPowerEU roadmap, Greens/EFA MEPs now call for June’s legislative proposal to be ambitious and to be treated with the right sense of urgency.

MEP Ville Niinistö from Finland, Greens/EFA co-coordinator in the Committee for Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE), comments:

“For years, we have warned that Putin’s war chest is being funded by now more than €200 billion of European energy money, far surpassing our financial aid to Ukraine. The same money fuels the Russian Shadow Fleet, which continues to infest our Baltic Sea. While I welcome the Commission’s overdue recognition of this reality, we now need the political courage to finish the job. Even now, many of Putin’s far-right allies within the EU still try to downplay his geopolitical influence.

“And the EU must think smart and sustainable, and not swap one energy dependence for another. Replacing Russian energy with fossil fuels or nuclear energy from other authoritarian regimes is not the solution. True energy security means accelerating renewables, cutting energy waste, and building a resilient grid. We urge the European Commission to focus on building a clean, sovereign energy system, which puts an end to Europe’s fossil fuel dependence, boosts our economies, increases resilience, and upholds democratic values.”