The European Commission is developing a strategy to eliminate Russian fossil fuels from the European Union's energy market. However, gas deliveries from Russia to Europe persist despite the EU's efforts, and Brussels is determined to halt this, Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, the EU’s spokesperson for energy and housing, said.
Speaking at a press briefing in Brussels on Jan. 20, Itkonen noted that work on a comprehensive roadmap to fully phase out Russian fossil fuels is ongoing.
"It is something that was announced as something that the Energy Commission would present in the first 100 days [of its mandate], so we still have a couple of sleeps left before that deadline," she said, according to Interfax news agency.
Itkonen highlighted that the EU has already made substantial progress in reducing its dependence on Russian energy. "We cut all Russian coal imports, most Russian oil imports, and over two thirds of Russian gas," she added.
Despite these achievements, Russian gas continues to be present on the EU market, which remains a concern. Itkonen confirmed that this issue will be addressed in the upcoming roadmap set to be presented in the coming weeks.
Kateryna Denisova
