Von der Leyen says the European Union must rid itself of Russian energy dependency

The president of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, has indicated this Saturday that the European Union must get rid of the dependency “of Russian gas and coal” and try to diversify energy sources to deal with the economic consequences that “Putin’s war” is causing in the European Union.

Von der Leyen made these statements at the institutional appearance held this Saturday at the Palacio de la Moncloa after meeting with the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, whom he congratulated for the “great experience” that Spain has in the field of renewable energies, which, in his opinion, is the way to guarantee “our energy efficiency”.

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“Spain has an impressive percentage of renewable energies and I am sure that it will play an important role in Europe’s energy supply, and for this we have to work on the interconnections between the Iberian Peninsula and European Union”has remarked the president of the European Commission.

The European leader has remarked that another important line of work will be aimed at helping consumers, households and companies with problems when it comes to paying their bills for energy services.

He also thanked Spain’s support for the decisions of the European Union and has considered that it is a “key partner” in this “decisive moment” to face a war for which the European Union has approved aid amounting to 500 million euros to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

For his part, Sánchez has ratified Spain’s commitment to European unity with the application of economic sanctions against Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, to which he has once again shown his solidarity both in continuing to send humanitarian aid and in continue collecting refugees.

It has also affected that Vladimir Putin has committed “two mistakes”: to think that Ukraine was going to surrender and that Europe would be divided.

“Europe is more united than ever in the actions against Putin and in solidarity with Ukraine, a people that has shown great determination defending its freedom,” Sanchez remarked.

On the other hand, Spain sent two planes with offensive military material to Ukraine this Friday, to which another two more will be added this Saturday, as confirmed this Saturday at a press conference by the Minister of the Presidency, Relations with the Courts and Democratic Memory, Felix Bolaños.

Meanwhile, one more day the departure of large European companies from Russia continues. This Saturday it was the turn of the Spanish companies Inditex -owner of brands such as Zara, Bershka or Pull&Bear- and Tendam -from Cortefiel-, which have joined this Saturday a growing list of large multinationals that suspend their activity in that country.

Media outlets such as the Efe Agency, RTVE or the Catalan Audiovisual Mitjans Corporation (CCMA) have also decided to suspend their informative activity in Russia, as a result of the approval of a new law that provides for penalties of up to 15 years in prison for disseminating what that the authorities may consider “false information”.

On the other hand, several Spanish cities have mobilized for another weekend asking for the end of the war in Ukraine.

In Fuenlabrada (Madrid), more than a thousand people have participated in a peaceful rally to condemn the “aggression” military in Russia; In Talavera de la Reina (Toledo) there have been nearly 2,000 residents who have gone out into the street and, in addition, collected warm clothes, medicines and non-perishable food that will be sent to Ukraine.

In Zamora, more than a hundred members of the Ukrainian community have also demonstrated to demand the support of Spain; and in Torrelavega (Cantabria) dozens of people have gathered to show their rejection of the war.

In addition, the Ukrainian anthem has been played twice this Saturday in the Plaza de la Escandalera, in Oviedo, while the fifth mascletá of the Fallas de Valencia has become an emotional tribute to the Ukrainian people, with a minute of silence and gestures like the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag drawn in the sky by pyrotechnics.

Precisely, in the Community of Valencia, one of the three large reception centers for Ukrainians will be set up, specifically in the city of Alicante, where there is an important colony of people from that country.

There are many cities dedicated to sheltering refugees from Ukraine, such as Paredes de Nava (Palencia), whose town hall was filled this Saturday to receive six women and five children rescued from the war.

And another 227 Ukrainians, including seven babies, have arrived in Barcelona late this afternoon by plane to meet, mostly, with relatives they have in Spain.

The wave of solidarity in Spain has also given rise to several stories of anonymous people who have decided to carry out their own initiatives, as is the case of Juan Luis Escobar and his wife María Jesús Márquez, a married couple from Ciudad Real who have carried out a journey of more than 7,500 kilometers to pick up three Ukrainian sisters, aged 14, 12 and 10, respectively, in Slovakia.

Another couple from Alicante left this morning for Warsaw in a van to pick up four Ukrainian brothers who had taken refuge in Poland, and a collector from Malaga also traveled to the Ukrainian border after chartering a bus with a capacity for 47 people.

And in Murcia, a solidarity campaign has managed to launch a convoy made up of three vans to carry material and food to the border between Poland and Ukraine, from where they will return with three families of Ukrainian refugees.

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Source: Elcomercio

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