In a letter dated 18 November, in response to MEP Christophe Grudler (Renew Europe, French) and 27 other MEPs, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, attempted to allay criticism of the energy commitments in the EU-US trade agreement (see EUROPE 13707/17).
In her view, the American partner “has proven to be an indispensable and trustworthy supplier”, including “during the energy crisis provoked by Russia’s weaponisation of energy against Europe”.
The President points out that the announced figure of $250 billion in annual purchases of US energy products in the agreement concluded on 21 August is based on “current EU imports, on the need to replace Russian energy, from gas to oil and nuclear fuel”.
With regard to concerns about the pursuit of the EU’s climate objectives, Ms von der Leyen said that speeding up the EU’s transition to clean, locally produced energy would remain “at the centre of our efforts”. She added that importing more US LNG “does not equate to importing more gas overall, as US LNG will be key to replacing Russian gas”.
As well as citing compliance with the Methane Regulation and supporting the simplification of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), she assures that the small modular reactors (SMRs) deployed in the EU “will rely primarily on a value chain located in Europe”.
To see the President’s letter: https://aeur.eu/f/jnc
To view the MEPs’ letter dated 15 September: https://aeur.eu/f/jnd (Original version in French by Pauline Denys)