On Wednesday, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, urged Norway to accelerate its transition towards renewable energy amid fears of gas shortages due to the escalating Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre met with President von der Leyen and Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans in Brussels to promote dialogue and cooperation on energy, industrial transformation, and climate. According to an official press release, both sides vowed to reduce emissions by achieving domestic climate neutrality by 2050, and reiterated their commitment to reducing greenhouse emissions by at least 55% by 2030.
Important exchange with @vonderleyen on security, energy and green transition. Ukraine a stark and somber reminder of values that unite us as Europeans. pic.twitter.com/pgNvpkAaOK
— Jonas Gahr Støre (@jonasgahrstore) February 23, 2022
Green technologies, the transition to green energy, the development and use of sustainable and low-carbon hydrogen, wind energy, minerals, and batteries were also topics of discussion. The leaders deemed these agenda items to be critical in reaching the 2030 and 2050 climate goals and strengthening Europe’s competitiveness and autonomy.
“Norway is committed to remaining a reliable partner during the transition towards a decarbonised economy and beyond, making Europe greener, more resilient and contributing to energy security,” the statement added.
During a joint press conference with von der Leyen, Støre said, “My message coming here to Brussels today is that Norway will play its part but we also have something valuable to contribute, reliability on gas.”
Likewise, von der Leyen added, “In recent months, if not years, Russia has used the European Union’s (EU) energy dependence to put pressure not only on Ukraine but also on the European Union.” She also stated that the EU leaders are determined to reduce their gas dependence on Russian gas. Moreover, von der Leyen called Oslo a reliable gas supplier and praised the nation for delivering what was promised. “For us, the motto is very clear for the European Union: getting rid of the dependency on Russian gas and getting more into the renewables,” she added.
The EU has to become more energy independent from Russia and fossil fuels.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) February 23, 2022
I see great potential for a stronger 🇪🇺🇳🇴 cooperation on the green transition.
I welcome 🇳🇴 intention to cut emissions by 55% by 2030 in line with #EUGreenDeal
Let's go for net zero by 2050 together. pic.twitter.com/JVzTx2Xrlz
However, Norway had recently warned of reaching full production capacity, making it impossible for it to suddenly boost production to reduce the bloc’s dependence on Russia for gas. According to Eurostat, approximately half of the EU’s gas imports come from Russia. This dependency would have further increased if Nord Stream 2, an $11 billion underwater gas pipeline that connects Russia to Germany, had become operational.
However, Germany has now cancelled the certification of the pipeline after Putin declared the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk to be independent. “I think the German government is absolutely right. Nord Stream 2 has to be assessed in light of the security of energy supply for the whole EU. Because this crisis shows that Europe is still too dependent on Russian gas. We have to diversify our supplies and we have to go to reliable suppliers,” von der Leyen said.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has said that Russia regrets Germany’s move, adding that the Nord Stream 2 is purely an economic venture aimed at stabilising European energy prices. The Deputy Chair of Russia’s Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, warned that Germany’s decision may backfire and leave EU citizens having to pay exorbitant energy prices. In fact, on Tuesday, European gas prices increased by 9.8%.