The European Commission must aim to reduce the bloc’s dependency on gas in the long-term by using more efficiently and gradually phasing out fossil fuel subsidies, according to a resolution adopted by the European Parliament on October 25.
Specifically, MEPs called for the EU strategy for liquefied natural gas (LNG) to make energy supplies more secure, cut carbon emissions and deliver affordable prices.
"There are three great issues we dealt with in this report,” said rapporteur Ándras Gyürk (EPP, HU). "First, we need supply diversification, to show solidarity with countries which are almost 100% dependent on a single supplier. Next, completing the missing gas infrastructure is essential for maximising the use of the existing LNG terminals and gas storage facilities, and last but not least, without the much-needed harmonisation of rules, procedures and tariff structures, the European infrastructure will only be an empty vessel, unable to serve its purpose.”
As regards Nord Stream, a natural gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea, the MEPs warned it could have counterproductive effects on energy security, the diversification of supply sources and solidarity among EU member states.
MEPs also agreed that that trade plays a key role in energy security, and that strong energy partnerships, reinforced by the inclusion of energy chapters in the EU’s trade agreements, are essential tools. They said that the "EU’s trade policy should enhance the Union’s and member states’ energy diversification and reduce their dependency on imported energy from too few suppliers.”
https://www.neweurope.eu/article/meps-call-reduction-eu-dependence-gas/
