“Reducing our dependency to the extent we have is actually quite an accomplishment,” said Jørgensen from his partially unfurnished office at the European Commission’s Berlaymont headquarters.
However, he acknowledged that progress has stalled. “It’s obvious to everybody that something new needs to happen because … now it’s beginning to go in the wrong direction,” he said. Jørgensen revealed plans to introduce “a tangible roadmap that will include efficient tools and means for us to solve the remaining part of the problem.”
This plan, set to be delivered within his first 100 days in office — effectively by mid-March — will primarily target gas but also address oil and nuclear energy.
The initiative marks the latest phase of the EU’s sweeping effort to overhaul its energy framework following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In response to the conflict, the EU imposed a blanket ban on Russian seaborne coal and oil while cutting its reliance on pipeline gas from Moscow by nearly two-thirds.
Yet progress has stagnated in recent months. In fact, according to data from commodities platform Kpler, the EU is expected to import around 10 percent more liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia in 2024 than it did in 2023.
Addressing these remaining dependencies, Jørgensen admitted, “won’t be easy.”
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