Minister Habeck at Special Energy Council in Brussels

Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Dr Robert Habeck will this afternoon take part in a Special Energy Council in Brussels, which was convened at short notice. The discussions will focus on the current situation in Ukraine, the impact of the Russian aggression on energy security in Europe and the situation on the energy markets.

In the run-up to the meeting, Minster Habeck said: “The solidarity of European partners is indispensable at this time of crisis. I therefore welcome today’s meeting. At the same time, the Russian attack on Ukraine must also galvanise Europe in terms of our energy policy. Energy policy is security policy. Strengthening our energy sovereignty strengthens our security. This firstly means that we need to overcome our high dependence on Russian imports of fossil fuels – a warmonger is not a reliable partner. Secondly, it means that we need to push forward with the energy transition at European level. The expansion of renewable energy is a matter of national and European security.”

The European Commission has announced a catalogue of measures for 2 March, in which it will also present proposals for a more resilient energy supply that is more independent of Russian energy suppliers.