EU Commissioner: We won't go back to status quo with Russia as our main gas supplier

Kadri Simson, EU Commissioner for Energy

© APA | Kadri Simson, EU Commissioner for Energy

# 29 March 2023 10:46 (UTC +04:00)

The Council of the European Union added the possibility of the member countries limiting the use of their capacity (power - ed.) to receive Russian and Belarusian gas, including LNG, to the proposal regarding the "gas package", said Kadri Simson, EU Commissioner for Energy, APA-Economics reports citing EU.

"It is clear that we will not go back to the status quo with Russia as our main gas supplier. I therefore welcome the addition by the Council that gives Member States the possibility to temporarily restrict capacities for gas, including the LNG, from Russia and Belarus. We need to protect our security of supply," noted Kadri Simson.

"I have proposed to prolong the existing regulation on coordinated demand reduction for another 12 months. This can save us 60 bcm of gas until April 2024. I am glad that the Council has today approved in principle this proposal.

But this Council was first and foremost about moving from emergency measures to structural solutions to make Europe more resilient and ready for the clean transition," she stressed.

"If Europe wants to lead in the hydrogen race, we need to have swiftly in place a legal framework to drive the decarbonisation of the gas sector and promote the establishment of a hydrogen ecosystem at scale," she added.

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