Will EU reassess its role in a new world ?
By Roni Alasor
March 2022 - Middle East Diplomatic - Russian President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine motivating EU politicians to reassess Europe`s role in a new world.
The President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola is one of the EU leader who believe that EU should recalculate its political, military and security power to combat the new threats EU might face in future. Many EU politicians and leaders discussing a united and strong EU which help and rebuild rules based in EU own interests.
In her newly statement, to the EU leaders at the informal European Council on Thursday in Versailles, France, Mrs Metsola underlined that President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine shattered the peace European have long known in Europe. She believe that the invasion of Ukraine has changed much in the last weeks and EU response must be proportionate to the serious, real and growing threat to our collective security.
“Firstly, we urgently need to boost our investment in defence and in innovative technologies and continue to build a real Security and Defence Union. One that can be proactive, flexible, agile and resilient. One that is capable of countering new threats. That means putting our money where our mouth is. It means reforming PESCO. It means raising our national budgets and it means making intelligent use of our common EU budget, to ensure that capability needs can be matched by collective funding where necessary”.
The statement by the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola continue as following : Secondly, we need to re-double our efforts to reduce our energy dependencies on the Kremlin. Our immediate goal must be energy security. Security comes from diversity – diversity of our energy sources, suppliers and supply routes.
In this moment of crisis, we need to remember that energy is – and always has been - political. Russia has understood this for years.
Restricting the import of Russian export goods, including gas, oil and coal; Reviewing all certification awarded to Russian energy companies; Addressing gas storage options, joint procurement for gas, joint financing schemes; Increasing the share of low carbon and renewable energy in our energy mix through a faster implementation of the Fit for 55 package.Our target must be towards a future of zero gas from Russia. Ambitious but necessary.
The European Parliament has been a strong proponent of renewable energy objectives, increasing interconnections between Member States, stepping up our storage capacity and reducing reliance on single suppliers. These actions can help the EU both substitute Russian gas and increase rapidly the share of our own sources of energy before 2030. It is clear we have to move from fossil fuels to more sustainable and clean energy sources, renewables, hydrogen, but also safe and modern nuclear energy in order to attain our ambitious climate goals.
Thirdly, we must talk more about food security. This must also become part and parcel of our discussions on Europe’s strategic autonomy. Our supply lines must become clearer and stronger.
Fourthly - what we have seen so far in terms of European coordination, solidarity and unity is unprecedented - and must be the blueprint for us going forward”.