Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will lead to higher energy prices for Europeans but the cost of surrendering to Moscow’s attack against democracy will be even higher, Frans Timmermans, European Commission’s Executive Vice-President, told Euronews.
“Because of the crisis, because of what’s happening, because of the manipulation also by the Russians of the market, we will have higher energy prices, but we need to make sure we invest so much in renewable energy that we can tell our citizens that soon the energy bills will go down,” Timmermans, the man in charge of the European Green Deal, said.
“We cannot just reduce the cost to the cost of our energy. We should see the broader picture: the cost to our democracy, to our society, to our liberty would be huge if we do not confront Putin right now. And that means that we have to take into account the risk of higher energy prices in the short term.”
“If you look at those countries in Central and Eastern Europe who depend highly on Russian gas, they are willing to pay the price because they know they have paid the price before, being under Moscow’s control, and they certainly don’t want to return to that situation. So we should be listening to their advice,” he added.
For Timmermans, the green transition represents a unique opportunity for EU to wean itself off fossil fuels and strengthen the bloc’s independence so “we don’t need to send billions to Russia to keep our houses warm.”
Even if renewables have
World
25 Şubat 2022 - 21:52
Fighting for democracy against Russia is worth facing higher energy prices, says Timmermans
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will lead to higher energy prices for Europeans but the cost of surrendering to Moscow’s attack against democracy will be even higher, Frans Timmermans, European Commission’s Executive Vice-President, told Euronews
World
25 Şubat 2022 - 21:52
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