Tthe European Union heads of state and government will meet at the European Council Summit in Brussels. The Greens/EFA call for a strong signal of unity and solidarity with Ukraine and demand answers to skyrocketing energy prices. In addition, ahead of the UN Climate Conference in Sharm El Sheik later this year, the Council must decide on concrete binding measures to keep the climate promises made in Glasgow to limit global warming.
Terry Reintke, President of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, comments:
"The European Council must continue showing strong support and unity, both internally and externally, for Ukraine. We Greens/EFA strongly condemn the Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian civilians. The EU Member States must hit the Russian President where it hurts with further sanctions and, in European unity, supply Ukraine with the weapons it needs.”
“The Russian president wants to use energy and disinformation as a weapon to divide our societies, spread fear and destabilize our democracy. The Greens/EFA call on all democrats to defend the stability and strength of European democracy. Cooperation with right-wing extremists must remain a taboo.”
Phillippe Lamberts, President of the Greens/EFA Group in the European Parliament, comments:
“The Greens/EFA call on the heads of state and government to respond to skyrocketing energy prices by introducing a massive investment programme. A dynamic gas price cap will not be enough to end social inequalities. Now is the time to terminate the toxic dependence on Russian oil and gas and focus on investments in renewables.”
“We call on the Council to agree on concrete binding measures to limit global warming ahead of the UN Climate Conference in Sharm El Sheik. States responsible for the climate crisis must keep the Glasgow climate promise and pay for the loss and damages people suffer from floods, heatwaves and droughts."
In a debate with Council and the Commission on the October European Council, MEPs urged leaders to not waste any more time and take urgent action to tackle the energy crisis.
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EU summit on energy and the cost of living crises!
In a debate with Council and the Commission on the October European Council, MEPs urged leaders to not waste any more time and take urgent action to tackle the energy crisis.
For the Czech Presidency, Minister for European Affairs Bek announced that the summit will give a “strong, common European response” to Russia’s war against Ukraine and soaring energy prices. He reiterated the EU’s “unwavering support for Ukraine”, stressed that Russia will be held accountable for the war crimes it is committing and announced that, with regard to the energy crisis, Europe will protect the most vulnerable, while staying competitive.
Commission President von der Leyen called Russia’s attacks on civilians and civil infrastructure “acts of pure terror”. The EU will back Ukraine “for as long as it takes”. The best response to the Russian war on energy is “European solidarity and unity” she said, pointing to the Commission’s proposals to address the energy crisis. Buying gas together and pooling demand, saving energy and sharing gas are absolutely critical. “Energy solidarity is a fundamental principle of our treaties”, she said. With regard to electricity prices, she said that the “Iberian model needs to be considered at EU level” and called for massive investment into infrastructure, energy efficiency and renewables.
In their responses, MEPs urged EU leaders to take bold and determined actions to address the energy and cost of living crises without further delay. Most called for European solidarity and unity in the face of what they labelled a Russian attack on Europe using energy supply as a weapon. Some welcomed the Commission’s proposals to contain energy prices, in particular the mechanism for joint gas purchases, while many considered that they come late and fall short of what is necessary.
Beyond the actions in the energy field, several MEPs asked for stronger EU social initiatives, including a new support instrument for the most vulnerable, as well as a European investment fund, to consolidate Europe’s energy and industrial autonomy and support the green transition, among others aims.
