The Commission’s proposal to save energy by 15% and the signing of an agreement in Istanbul to export Ukrainian grain to the press.
“THE European Commission wants to oblige all 27 member states to reduce natural gas consumption by 15% between August 2022 and March 2023 compared to the average of the last five years” writes the Süddeutsche Zeitung and refers to the reactions that exist between various countries and in GREECE. The newspaper notes: “However, it is difficult to imagine that on such a crucial issue a decision will be taken not only against the usual dissenters, Poland and Hungary who do not want to give the Commission additional powers, but also against the countries of the South Europe.
The Greek Minister of Energy Kostas Skrekas stated that he found it “strange” that the Commission presented the proposal without prior consultation with the governments. 70% of the natural gas imported into Greece would go to power generation. Savings would therefore jeopardize the functioning of households and shops. Furthermore, a 15% saving in Greece does not mean that you can direct 15% more to Germany because there are no pipelines for that.”
And the paper continues: “The Greeks must save to get the Germans through the winter because of their dependence on Russian gas, for which they themselves are responsible. The government in Athens probably wants to avoid this impression, because of the memory of the Euro crisis, when the Germans imposed harsh austerity measures on the Greeks.”
The agreement on Ukrainian grain
The UN Secretary General described it as an “Agreement for the world”. Antonio Guterres the signing of an agreement in Istanbul between the UN-Russia and Ukraine for the export of Ukrainian grain. In the report, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung also refers to the special role of Ankara. “Turkey has a key role to play in the implementation of the agreement, compliance with which will be monitored by a United Nations monitoring center in Istanbul. Ukraine will remove some of the sea mines off the coast of the Black Sea. Russia assures that it will not take advantage of the situation to attack. Empty grain ships on their way to Ukraine will be checked in Turkish waters to ensure they are not carrying weapons to Ukraine.”
On the same subject, the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung comments: “Even the Russian President Vladimir Putin he understands that international pressure has mounted, so now at least on this point he is backing down. The date is by no means accidental. Lavrov will travel to Africa to woo developing countries into new deals and persuade them not to follow Western sanctions. If he insisted on blocking grains it would be difficult. If deliveries are made quickly and if this complex agreement is implemented, it will be seen in action. What applies to natural gas also applies here. Nothing is sure. Putin could change his mind at any time.”
DW – Maria Rigoutsou
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