Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre expects the energy cooperation with Germany to be stepped-up even further, as the countries are in talks about wind energy, hydrogen and more. French President Emmanuel Macron backs Moldova in the face of “Russian attempts to destabilize” the country. Spain adopts a pension reform along the lines of demands from the European Commission.
EU warns concerning the Nord Stream leaks, Moscow denies suspicions. – Belgium and 14 other EU countries push for a proposal for a general gas price cap. What else was important this week: More than 77 percent of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s (BiH) citizens want membership in the EU.
Europe reacts to the Italian election outcome. Amid the energy crisis, Germany is expected to receive its first shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United Arab Emirates by the end of 2022. Further news: The parliament of the Republic of North Macedonia continues discussions on the energy crisis and the EU works on joint handling of Russian fugitives.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s third State of the Union speech was dominated by the war in Ukraine and finding answers to soaring energy prices in Europe. In her annual address to the European Parliament, she proposed a windfall levy. But not everyone is convinced and there is still work to be done.
This week in Strasbourg, MEPs voted on plans to speed up the expansion of renewable energy and reduce energy consumption. In other news: While the migrant crisis in Bosnia is far from over, the number of illegal migrant arrivals decreased. Also: Brussels calls on Spain to end the blockade of its justice system.