The energy situation in the European Union as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine but also the next steps after Gazprom's suspension of gas deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria, were discussed by EU Energy Ministers at an extraordinary meeting of the EU Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council convened by the French Presidency of the Council of the EU.
In his intervention, the Director General of the Ministry of Energy, Marios Panagidis, who represented Cyprus, explained that although Cyprus is the member state with the lowest dependence on natural gas from Russia, it is nevertheless affected due to the significant increases in energy prices in general.
Cyprus, he said, supports the measures promoted by the EU for its energy security, including the proposed Regulation on gas storage and the EU's Common Supply Platform.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Energy, Member States expressed full solidarity and readiness to assist affected partners and exchanged views on securing the EU's energy supply from reliable suppliers, gas transit and the storage of gas reserves, particularly in view of the coming winter.
There was also a discussion on the EU's level of preparedness, solidarity measures and possible emergency measures in relation to the EU energy supply situation.
In his intervention Mr Panagides also referred to the importance of exploiting Member States' energy reserves, including Cyprus' gas reserves. In this context, he highlighted Cyprus' efforts to create synergies with Greece, Israel and Egypt for the exploitation of the deposits in the Eastern Mediterranean, which can contribute to the EU's efforts to become independent from Russian gas.
Finally, Panagides referred to the Green Transition measures. As he said, Cyprus supports these measures, which, however, must take into account the different starting points and be fair to all Member States.
Source:CNA
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