New EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen wants to accelerate the end of the European Union's dependence on Russian fossil fuels, he told a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday.
“In my first 100 days, I will present a plan on how to accelerate the end of our dependence on Russian gas before 2027,” he said.
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen tasked Mr Jorgensen with lowering energy prices to try to restore Europe's industrial competitiveness, decarbonise the economy and end remaining imports of Russian Energy Union.
He should be confirmed in his new role in the coming weeks.
“We have a challenge, our industry is suffering. They pay two or three times more for energy than in the United States and China… ordinary people are struggling to pay their bills,” Mr. . Jorgensen, adding that this was largely due to the war in Ukraine.
He said the EU needed to deploy more renewable energy, which would require expanding grids, boosting digitalization and new storage technologies, and speeding up permitting.
Mr Jorgensen also said that nuclear power was essential to contribute to decarbonisation.
The development of nuclear energy is an issue that divides the European Union: two camps are opposed, one in favor of nuclear energy, supported by France, the other by Germany.
The EU has set a non-binding target: ending Russian gas imports by 2027, after Russia launched its massive invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
However, some member states have done little to diversify their supplies and imports of Russian gas increased last year.
“We used to get 45% of our gas from Russia, now we are down to 18%, but 18% is still too much, we need to be 100% independent of Russian fuel,” Mr Jorgensen said.
The EU banned imports of Russian oil, with some exceptions, in 2022, but stopped short of imposing restrictions on gas. In June, countries took a first step by banning transshipments of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) in European ports.
While some member states seek to strengthen measures, Russia-friendly Hungary is negotiating with Gazprom to increase flows through the TurkStream pipeline in 2025.
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