On 28 February, several European Union energy ministers called on other member states in the bloc to regard the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a turning point for energy production in Europe.
Reducing demand in Europe for coal, oil, and gas imported from Russia would be "the best way to stand up to Vladimir Putin", Ireland's Minister for the Environment and Climate, Eamon Ryan, said before a meeting of ministers in Brussels. "Dependency on fossil fuels has cost us dearly," said E. Ryan, referring to both the EU's dependence on Russian resources and climate issues.
Spanish Minister for the Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, said that reliance on Russia had created "immense fragility" in the European energy system, which requires a rapid transition to cleaner and, therefore, non-Russian sources.
The previous speakers were implicitly echoed by Belgian Minister for Energy, Tinne van der Straetena. She pointed out that the war, despite its scale and the horrors taking place, has not stopped the flow of gas from Russia to the EU...
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In recent weeks, both in the Saeima and the Cabinet of Ministers, the thesis has been heard once again: “We must act this way, otherwise there will be penalties, infringement procedures, etc.” Often, such a pseudo-argument completely excludes reasonable disputes, discussions, or alternatives, forcing those responsible to make decisions hastily and not always in the interests of Latvia. Why is that?
Old habits are hardening - someone somewhere knows better, let us rely on them
Lack of sufficient capacity or laziness to defend a different point of view
A generation of cabinet officials has been created who are accustomed to accepting rather than delving into matters
This is a serious problem for Latvia for which no solution is being sought. It will probably be all right somehow...
The war in Ukraine as a turning point for European gas dependency
