EU achieved independence from Russian fossil fuels

The European Union has announced that it has got rid of its dependence on Russian energy thanks to the EU’s plan to reduce gas consumption.

Through the Joint European action for more affordable, secure and sustainable energy (REPowerEU), the EU confirmed its objective to reach independence from Russian fossil fuels well before the end of the decade, replacing them with stable, affordable, reliable, and clean energy supplies for EU citizens and businesses.

European Commission’s statement

The European Commission’s statement was published on the official website. European Commission spokesperson Tim McPhie confirmed that the EU is no longer dependent on Russia’s energy ressources.

“Over the past year, Europe has realized its ambitions under the plan to end its dependence on Russian energy. Now we can say that we are no longer dependent on them,” Tim McPhie said.

According to the representative of the European Commission, the EU has stopped importing Russian coal, and oil from Russia will be only a tiny fraction of the volume that was before the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine unleashed by Russia.

He also added that “Russian gas is rapidly disappearing from the European market.”

The EU’s plan to reduce gas consumption across the EU by 15% to cope with the gas crisis caused by Russia’s war came into effect last August.

According to the plan, EU countries were to make every effort to reduce gas consumption by at least 15% by March 2023.

In 2023, the European Commission decided to offer the EU countries to willingly continue to reduce gas consumption by 15% in the future.

On May 24, it was reported that the European Commission had recommended that all EU governments stop supporting energy prices by the end of this year to keep public finances under control and comply with the proposed new fiscal rules in 2024.