Energy security action plan to cut EU reliance on Russia

Europe must reduce dependence on energy imports following the Ukraine crisis, the European Commission president warned on Wednesday.

The EU “remains vulnerable” to supply disruptions, said president Jose Manuel Barroso as he launched a strategy to boost energy security.

The bloc of countries depends on imports for 53 per cent of the energy it consumes, a Commission study found. That rises to 66 per cent for natural gas, of which 39 per cent comes from Russia.

Energy security has risen up the EU agenda since tensions flared up between the Ukraine and Russia earlier this year, calling into question the dependability of Russian supplies.

Barroso urged stronger intergovernmental cooperation. “On energy security, Europe must speak and act as one,” he said.

The Commission recommended immediate action to identify alternative sources of gas and firm up contingency plans before next winter. In the medium term, it urged member states to speed up delivery of energy efficiency programmes and increase domestic energy production, whether by exploiting shale gas reserves or developing renewables.

The EU will also seek new supply routes to reduce reliance on Russian gas: developing Southern Gas Corridor, Mediterranean Gas Hub and increasing LNG supplies.

Energy commissioner Günther Oettinger said: “We want strong and stable partnerships with important suppliers, but must avoid falling victim to political and commercial blackmail.

“The EU and its member states have a long list of homework in front of them: collectively, we need to reinforce our solidarity with more vulnerable member states. We also need to complete the internal energy market, improve our infrastructure, become more energy efficient and better exploit our own energy resources. Moreover, we need to accelerate the diversification of external energy suppliers, especially for gas. Only concrete actions will help.”