Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-01-14-Speech-3-394"
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"en.20090114.17.3-394"2
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".
The European Union has not learned from its experiences in the 2006 gas crisis between Russia and Ukraine. Decision-makers reacted to the turning off of the gas taps as if this had been completely unexpected. This energy supply crisis, the most serious to date, may be the final wake-up call for Member States: we need to take steps to reduce our energy dependency. The conflict that has erupted between Russia and Ukraine is not merely a private bilateral legal dispute, given the fact that it affects hundreds of millions of EU citizens.
The present crisis is not only a test of our common energy policy, but also of EU solidarity. What is at stake now is whether Member States can move beyond the policies based hitherto on separate deals. What is at stake is whether the European Union is capable of speaking and acting in unity in so crucial a matter.
The inactivity of the past days is particularly painful, given that the European Commission made a good job of defining the steps which may reduce Europe’s dependence. We can only agree with what is set out in the Energy Security and Solidarity Action Plan. Investments must be made as soon as possible in developing alternative delivery routes and in linking up existing networks. Support for energy efficiency infrastructures needs to be expanded and we need to strengthen the energy dimension of the EU foreign policy that is currently taking shape.
I believe that the current crisis would not have had such a drastic effect if the Member States had not come to their senses only at the last minute, and had committed themselves to a common European energy policy in more than just words."@en1
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