Energy independence from Russia will not happen tomorrow, but it will happen much sooner than Russia wishes for. This is something we are all working on, this was part of the discussions with the American President yesterday and we are gathering massive efforts to get rid of our dependency on Russian gas. Today we will mostly focus on how to tame the prices. There is a solution, the solution is common European purchases, common logistics, common building of the gas storage capacity. We know what the solutions are, we just need to be effective as Europe showed to be during the first wave of the pandemic.
#Janša #Slovenia #sanctions #oil #gas
There is no country which is opposing this in general, there are differences which depend on the level of dependency on Russian energy, but we agreed that we do this as soon as possible, later than we wish for, sooner than Mr Putin does.
We are working on the deployment of Slovenian soldiers to Slovakia as soon as possible.
A ban on Russian diamonds imports is included in the last sanctions package.
[ Ссылка ] #eudebates
US President Joe Biden is joining EU leaders during the first day of the European Council for a discussion on support for Ukraine and its people and on strengthening transatlantic cooperation in response to Russia’s aggression.
Regarding to Russia's military aggression against Ukraine, the European Council assesses the latest developments on the ground, including the humanitarian situation and refugees.
Furthermore, The European Council discusses security and defence, building on the Versailles declaration and taking into account the new security situation in Europe. In this context, EU leaders exchange views on how to enable the EU to act more quickly and decisively when facing crises, while also securing its interests and protecting citizens. They also discuss defence investment and funding instruments. The European Council is also expected to endorse the Strategic Compass, an initiative aiming at strengthening the Union’s security and defence policies around the themes of crisis management, defence capabilities, resilience and partnerships.
Following the agreement in Versailles to phase out dependency on Russian gas, oil and coal imports, they discuss sustained high energy prices and its impact on citizens and businesses, also in the context of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The European Commission provides a basis for the discussion by putting forward options for ensuring affordable energy prices and security of supply.
The European Council continues its discussion on how to build a more robust economic base, as laid out in the Versailles declaration, notably by reducing strategic dependencies in sensitive areas like critical raw materials, semi-conductors, health, digital and food. EU leaders address how to further strengthen the single market to accelerate the green and digital transitions, as well as how to strengthen the resilience of the EU economy.
Finally, they focus on coordination efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and take stock of international cooperation on global health governance and solidarity, including through roll-out of vaccines, and discuss the work, under the guidance of the WHO, on a future instrument to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response.
EU leaders meet on 24 and 25 March 2022 in Brussels. On day 2, the European Council discusses security and defence, building on the Versailles declaration and taking into account the new security situation in Europe, and sustained high energy prices and its impact on citizens and businesses, also in the context of the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The European Council also continues its discussion on how to build a more robust economic base, discusses coordination efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and takes stock of international cooperation on global health governance and solidarity, including through roll-out of vaccines.
