Brussels, 22/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - The top Italian energy company, ENI, called yesterday for the establishment of a truly functioning European gas interconnection network which “could free the European Union from dependency on Russian gas.”
“If European countries were able to move gas from where it is stored in Europe to where it is needed, EU countries could go through an entire winter without using Russian or Algerian gas,” said Leonardo Bellodi, ENI's Executive Vice President, during a conference in the European Parliament in Brussels.
“We should focus more on building interconnections in Europe rather than on developing new concerns over Russia, as it seems to be the policy now in Brussels,” added Bellodi.
One of the vice presidents of the European Parliament, Gianni Pittella (S&D), backed this line. “We fully agree with this view. The Parliament is in favour of this position,” he said speaking at the same conference.
The importance of functioning and reliable gas interconnections “is even stronger in this phase” dominated by uncertainty and a bolder attitude of oil producers, which could bring new oil price hikes, said Daniela Viglione, CEO and President of AGI, an Italian news agency with close links to the energy sector.