On Wednesday, the European Union increased its focus on the issue of energy in light of the Russian war on Ukraine, while the Czech Republic reviewed its priorities as it assumed the presidency of the bloc.
"We must prepare for further disruptions in gas supplies, even a complete disruption on the part of Russia," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the European Parliament.
Energy Security Emergency Plan
The Commission is set to unveil an emergency energy supply security plan on July 20 that will help redirect gas flows within the European Union "where it is most needed". "We have to support European solidarity. We need to protect the single market (in the EU) as well as industry supply chains," von der Leyen said.
The Czech Presidency of the European Union announced in a tweet that it had called an extraordinary meeting of EU Energy Ministers on July 26, following the Commission's plan.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Viala told members of the European Parliament that the plan should reflect the solidarity of the European Union, which was manifested at the height of the Covid crisis, and said that "the path that the Czech presidency wants to take is primarily to work on joint European projects that free us from our dependence on Russia."
Von der Leyen and Fiala stressed that restructuring the European Union's energy market must keep green policies at its core, even with soaring inflation and short-term risks to supplies.
The European Union has launched a 300 billion euro ($310 billion) plan to reduce its dependence on Russian fossil fuel supplies, while investing heavily to shift the market toward renewables.
In this context, the European Parliament on Wednesday approved a controversial proposal by the European Union that has the support of France and Germany to put a sustainable financing label on investments in gas and nuclear energy. 278 deputies voted against the move to 328, while 33 abstained.
A coalition of anti-nuclear and gas opponents, including a group of NATO member states and activists, pressed lawmakers to reject the so-called "Green Mark".
Opponents of gas, on which Germany relies heavily, point to the war in Ukraine as another justification for rejecting the green label, noting that encouraging investments in this sector will increase dependence on Russian supplies.
As for opponents of nuclear energy used by France, they express their fear of nuclear accidents and waste. They see the energy of the sun and wind as the best way forward.
Separately, von der Leyen and the Czech Prime Minister reported that steps towards post-war reconstruction of Ukraine will be taken under the Czech presidency of the European Union, which continues until the end of the year.
"We have never overseen a reconstruction challenge of this magnitude," von der Leyen said. "So we need everyone's help." Ukraine estimated the cost of its post-war reconstruction at at least $750 billion.