EU Commission: war in Ukraine, Europe takes action. Energy independence, security and defence, the country’s rebuilding

(Brussels) REPowerEU to make the EU independent from Russian energy supplies; a plan to rebuild Ukraine; and a EU27 fund for security and defence. This is the threefold action announced by the European Commission today to address the war emergency, ensure the Union’s security, and look beyond the war, when a truce and peace negotiations will – hopefully – pave the way for Ukraine’s rebuilding. “It is almost three months that Russia has been waging a brutal war against Ukraine. And it is threatening all those who support Ukraine in its self-defence”, President Ursula von der Leyen said at the Berlaymont building, the Commission’s headquarters, today. “Putin’s war – she remarked – poses fundamental challenges to our Union. Which is why today’s proposals by the College of Commissioners are about the security of energy supplies, defence, and our neighbour Ukraine”. “Putin’s war - she added - is disrupting the global energy market. This shows the extent of our dependence on fossil fuel imports. And our vulnerability in relying on fossil fuel imports from Russia. We now need to rapidly reduce our dependence on Russian energy supplies. And today we are presenting our plan to achieve these objectives: REPowerEU”.
Valentina Bombelli