The economic impact of the war in Ukraine, the refugee crisis, and European energy security while reducing the dependence on Russia were the topics on the agenda of the European Council in Brussels. The European Commission wants member states to purchase natural gas together, in an attempt to consolidate the EU’s energy security, and reduce dependence on Russian sources of energy. A strategy to this end was made public on Wednesday by the executive, ahead of the Brussels meeting of heads of state and government in the EU. A new working group would be set up to handle partnerships from outside the community, and the activity of this team would get inspiration from experience gained during the pandemic, when the member states purchased vaccines against COVID-19 jointly, the EC specified. The idea of reducing dependence on Russian gas is also reflected in the announcement made by President Biden and head of the EC von der Leyen about an agreement to bolster the amount of LNG that Europe gets from the US. At the same time, Brussels wants for every member state to make sure that, by November 1, every member state has sufficient gas reserve for the winter, at at least 80% of their own storage capacity, and at least 90% the following winter. At the same time, the energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine caused European officials to reconsider their position on coal as an energy source. That includes Romania, which, though less dependent on Russia for energy, is preparing to boost coal production.
