The European Union must work steadily and permanently towards an end to Europe’s reliance on Russian oil and gas exports to strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy and reduce Russia’s influence, ECR MEP Beata Szydło said today as Parliament adopted her report on security of energy supply in the EU.

She said that far from underpinning Europe’s energy needs, Russia’s hydrocarbon resources are used as a weapon of diplomatic coercion, demonstrating just how vulnerable Europe would be to resuming its energy dependence on Russia at a future time.

Elsewhere in the report, Ms Szydło calls for nuclear energy to be the cornerstone of the continent’s long-term electricity generation decades into the future, rather than an optional extra in Europe’s power mix.

The own-initiative report further highlights the need to embed the principle of technological neutrality in energy security policy as a driver of innovation, a way to meet the expected rapid increase in demand for electricity in Europe and a path to keep household bills lower.

Energy security, the report also states, should not be held hostage by the rush to decarbonise Europe. The vastly different social and political realities of Member States cannot be ignored or overshadowed by an obsession with green policies at the expense of the needs of businesses and citizens.

Ms Szydło said:

“Ending our dependence on Russian energy supplies needs to be achieved in a unified and accelerated fashion to boost our continent’s strategic autonomy in the face of the threat from the Kremlin.

“Nuclear power is a non-negotiable part of Europe’s energy security, and it needs a more prominent place in the energy mix than it has currently.

“Ensuring energy security in Europe means applying the principle of technological neutrality, which means more reliable and cheaper energy to meet the expected spike in demand.

“Decarbonisation cannot be imposed as a one-size-fits-all solution. Vulnerable citizens and businesses should be able to rely on politicians to protect them from harm and support them amid these changes.”