why Spain, Portugal and Hungary say “no” to Brussels

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Wednesday, July 20, when the European Commission proposes to lower gas consumption by 15% across Europe, Spain sees red. “We will not assume disproportionate sacrifices“, thus carried away the Minister of Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, moreover for a plan on which”we weren’t even consulted“. His intervention takes place a few hours after the presentation of the plan by Brussels.

Spain is very independent from Russia: almost half (46%) of its consumption comes from Algeria and Morocco, the rest is liquefied natural gas purchased in Qatar, Nigeria and the United States. Madrid says it is in solidarity with the countries tributary to Moscow, but not at the expense of its own consumers and industrialists, who, moreover, are already paying a high price for their independence.

What Spain is proposing, to show despite everything that it is united, is to use its infrastructures. Spain is the liquefied gas champion in Europe: it has a very large storage capacity. It also knows how to regasify it, whereas very few countries in Europe have the capacity. The six power stations in the country alone manage almost 40% of the total capacity of continental Europe. “We can make our capacities available“says Madrid in essence, it will be as effective and above all fairer than an undifferentiated energy sobriety plan, which treats everyone the same.

Portugal is on the same line, it does not want this plan but not for the same reasons. Portugal is the good student: it has invested massively in solar and wind power. To the point that 70% of its electricity comes from green energies. Prime Minister Antonio Costa does not see why the Portuguese should tighten their belts when the other countries of the Union could very well have diversified by turning to renewable energies.

In 2008, during the financial crisis, the countries of the South were widely criticized for having spent too much, but the roles of the cicada and the ant were reversed.

The Iberian Peninsula, qualified “energy island” by the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, is today one of the keys to the future of the European energy mix and finds itself in a strategic position. DMany voices are also being raised to relaunch the Midi-Catalonia gas pipeline project, which would ensure the gas interconnection between Spain and France, which has been under-exploited for several years.

Athens is on the same line and judges that a reduction would cause disruptions in the supply of individuals and businesses

Another country is distancing itself from Brussels, but in a different style: Hungary, which once again goes it alone and turns to Vladimir Putin rather than complying with the rules of Brussels. This Thursday, July 21, the head of Hungarian diplomacy was in Moscow to validate the purchase of 700 million additional cubic meters of gas – in addition to the contracts already planned.

“In the current context, whether we like it or not”, It is “simply not possible” to obtain this surplus “without Russian input, it’s a fact” said Péter Szijjártó, reputedly close to the Kremlin. “We can give false hopes, we can dream, we can blow the wind, but facts and physical reality are stubborn”.

During the press conference, with desks and small flags, broadcast on state television channels, his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov explained at length that, despite European sanctions, Russia wanted to develop its relationship “strategic” with Hungary – which imports 80% of its gas from Russia.

More than ever, Viktor Orban, who condemned the invasion of Ukraine, maintains an ambiguous position vis-à-vis Russia. Hungarian PM keeps blaming sanctions policy: EU”shot himself in the lungs“, according to him, it is necessary to change course. PA landlocked central European country with no access to the sea, Hungary imports 65% of its oil and 80% of its gas from Russia. And is worried about the risk of a shortage: a “emergency state” was even decreed last week.

The split with the rest of Europe is all the more striking since, on the same day, Berlin accused Moscow of being a “increasing uncertainty factor” in the energy market in Europe, after the restart of Nordstream at a delivery level “weak” and “not trustworthy“.

The crisis between the Union and Moscow is testing the cohesion of the 27. On Tuesday July 26 the energy ministers meet at a summit in Brussels: they will have a lot of work to succeed in tuning their violins.


source site-25