Von der Leyen’s response to Mitsotakis’ letter: The objective is to bring down energy prices in Europe

The objective of the new Commission is to lower energy prices in Europe, which are higher than in the rest of the world, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said at a press conference today with International Energy Agency (IEA) Executive Director Fatih Birol on support for Ukraine’s energy security next winter.

During a press conference, von der Leyen was asked about the letter sent to the Commission by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, calling for a European solution to the distortions in the energy market that lead to large discrepancies in electricity prices between EU countries. The Commission President replied that there are indeed many factors affecting energy prices, such as the pressure of climate change on our energy systems and the need for better interconnection within the EU and its neighbours. He noted, however, that Russian attacks in Ukraine do play an important role, but “a small one.”

“Overall we know that we have in Europe, compared to the rest of the world, structurally very high energy prices and a very clear objective of the new Commission – something that is also outlined in the Draghi report – is to structurally lower energy prices,” von der Leyen said. According to her, there is a mix of measures that can be taken in this direction, such as energy diversification, huge investments in renewable energy sources. The Commission President also underlined the important role of energy saving and energy efficiency. She also mentioned the importance of equipping the market with energy supply because, she said, the EU is very dependent on the global market. “The more we have domestic energy, renewable energy, the more independent we are and the lower the prices are without any doubt,” he said.

Ms von der Leyen announced today that the EU wants to help Ukraine get through the winter, where 80 percent of the country’s energy plants have been destroyed. At the same time, the International Energy Agency is sounding the alarm over supply chain difficulties in Ukraine, which faces its biggest serious challenge this winter since the Russian invasion. It announced that the sum of €160 million from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets will be made available to Ukraine to meet the country’s urgent humanitarian needs this winter. He added that a fuel power plant is being dismantled in Lithuania and will be rebuilt in Ukraine, while the EU aims to restore 15% of Ukraine’s energy needs.

The President of the Commission announced that tomorrow, Friday 20 September, she will travel to Ukraine and meet with the President, Volodymyr Zelensky.

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