Julio García-Aquí Europa
The third vice president and minister for the Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, demanded yesterday in Brussels that a common position be adopted at the European Union level on “how to reduce or prohibit” imports of Russian gas, including liquefied natural gas (LNG). ), “sooner”.
Upon her arrival at the meeting of the Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council, Ribera showed her willingness to insist on this position and stressed that “we need a common European position, and not for the future, but as soon as possible.”
Specifically, Ribera referred to the proposal presented yesterday by the Lithuanian delegation, in which the European Commission is urged to present “urgent” legislative proposals to guarantee the cessation of imports of Russian gas, as of January 1, 2027.
“There is a country that says that we should be much tougher on LNG imports from Russia and I think what we have seen so far is that we need to have a common position,” said the vice president.
Furthermore, she recalled that the gas package includes a provision allowing Member States to take proportionate national measures in terms of reducing gas imports. However, when asked by journalists about the possible activation of this clause in Spain, she responded: “What if I prohibit it unilaterally and it arrives through France?”
Therefore, she insisted that “the only way forward is to have a recommendation that comes from the Commission” to find “a common approach on how to reduce or prohibit imports from Russia.”
“There is an important awareness about the need to continue promoting a reduction in demand,” she added, which is why she also hopes that the Commission’s recommendations to maintain the 15% decrease in gas consumption will be “adopted without “no kind of problem.”
