Germany: Burbok announces gradual de facto embargo on Russian oil

“Complete national withdrawal from Russian energy dependence,” German Foreign Minister Alelena Berbock announced, referring to a “gradual, de facto, embargo” on Russian oil. For his part, Economy and Climate Policy Minister Robert Habeck stressed that “one should be blind not to see that energy policy has always been a security policy.”

Speaking at the International Conference on Energy Transition, Foreign Minister Alena Berbok said earlier today that the war in Ukraine made it “dramatically clear” how necessary it was to break free from Russian energy. “Climate policy is the geopolitical task of our time and will shift the international power structure,” he said, adding that Germany wanted to focus entirely on renewable energy sources and energy efficiency in the long run. However, he clarified, a country can not do this alone, but together with its partners. “We need a ‘European Green Agreement’ to boost clean energy in Europe and to extend the EU’s strategic sovereignty,” she said. however, gas and oil will continue to be imported in the short term, “but from other countries”.

Speaking at the same conference, Economy and Climate Policy Minister Robert Habeck sharply criticized Germany’s climate policy over the past decades, noting that energy policy “is never just an economic issue, but always a political issue and issue.” security “. In retrospect, he said, “one can not understand how one could be so blind as to overlook this fact.” Due to the war in Ukraine, politics is going to enter a new phase, in which it will have to trust itself and take “big and – in case of doubt – even tough decisions”. We should know, he continued, that not only is it foolish to invest all the “shares” of security policy in one country, but also that it was probably not a smart idea to choose that country for that, Mr. Habeck continued, referring to in Russia. “Europe is now experiencing an aggressive war like it has not seen in 70 years, a major land war, in which efforts are being made to change borders by military means,” he said. error”.

Mr Habeck warned, however, that Europe’s gradual withdrawal from Russian energy was appropriate, but would not be without cost. As a direct consequence, prices will soar and inflation will rise, he explained, noting that Germany may be going through this phase well, but not the whole world. “The ideal, stable, intact world in terms of security policy is in danger of collapsing,” Mr Habeck said.

Source: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ