RTMon, 08 Aug 2022 12:36 UTC
The European Commission will not be able to force Poland to adhere to the EU's new plan to cut gas consumption, nor will Poland share its gas reserves with other members of the bloc, the country's climate and environment minister, Anna Moskwa, has told the news outlet Sieci.
"Energy security is the exclusive competence of each state, and we will never agree cede it to the European Union. No one can force us to regulate gas or introduce other restrictive measures. Moreover, we do not want to make decisions about restrictions in other states," the minister was cited as saying.
Her comments refer to the EU's plan to cut gas consumption across the bloc by 15%, which, it is hoped, will help member states fill storages amid concerns of a possible halt of Russian gas supplies. In the interview, Moskwa noted that the plan was not made mandatory and thus should be seen as guidance rather than law.
"It will be voluntary, and the decision in this regard is sovereign for each country," she stressed.
Despite the fact that the plan does not appear to entail gas reserves being shared among EU members, the minister was adamant that Poland would keep its gas to itself under any circumstances.
"No one will take away our gas. I emphasize - the EC cannot force us to do anything. There is no solidarity without freedom, and it ends where coercion begins," she said, adding that "the infrastructure, gas pipelines and purchased gas are the property of our state, and only we can decide how we use it, for whose needs.""Of course, if there are countries in the EU that have the appropriate capabilities and infrastructure, they can always, on the basis of a bilateral agreement, support their neighbors," Moskwa stated, but noted that it is unlikely "Brussels would impose on us the obligation to help."
Comment: Despite the energy crisis plunging citizens into fuel poverty and threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions come this winter, Germany continues to block the use of Nord Stream II, claiming the gas pipeline lacks the certification - certification that it is responsible for
issuing, and has given no justifiable reason for refusing:
Germany won't put Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline into operation even if the situation with energy supplies deteriorates in the coming months, government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said on Monday.
"What is clear is that we stand firmly on the side of Ukraine, that we support the sanctions that we jointly adopted in the EU and in consultations with the international community... What is also clear is that Nord Stream 2 is not certified and is not currently going through the certification process and thus is not available [for operation]," the spokesman said at a press briefing.
When asked specifically if German Chancellor Olaf Scholz rules out using the pipeline in the coming fall and winter if the situation with gas supplies in the region becomes more complicated, Hebestreit said "yes, he rules it out."
The government representative agreed that the upcoming heating season may be difficult for Germany, but noted that the government is taking the necessary steps to ease the situation.
The construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, aimed at boosting Russian natural gas supplies to the EU, was completed last year. However, Berlin halted its certification shortly before Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine in late February.
Hebestreit's comments echo those of German Economy Minister Robert Habeck, who said last month that Germany does not plan to revive the Nord Stream 2 certification process despite fears of supply disruptions, and urged his country to conserve natural gas and continue decreasing its dependence on supplies from Russia.
It's clear from the final paragraphs that Germany has no intention of any meaningful dialogue with Russia, meanwhile Russia and China have shown that real diplomacy means keeping the lines of communication open even in the most difficult of situations. That said, they have also made it clear that the West has demonstrated that it can no longer be trusted and that they will take their business elsewhere.
For analysis on the deteriorating state of world affairs, check out SOTT radio's:
NewsReal: Will US Provoke China-Taiwan War? Possible, But Only as 'Trump' Card to Upend Global Economy
The abandonment of these power plants is, firstly, costly and, secondly, completely not in the interest of Poland, because Poland has large deposits of good quality coal.
Therefore, the program includes not only the closure of coal-fired CHP plants, but also of mines.
Being aware of this, the EU allocated large resources for Poland to implement this program. These funds were just to go to Poland
... but llll But the EU has other conditions as well. In order to get this money, Poland is to resign from the sovereignty of the judiciary in Poland.
This is not taken so literally, the point is that the EU wants one judge to be able to challenge another judge's judgment.
As a result, this would lead to the fact that any decision of a Polish court could be challenged by an EU court.
At this point, the EU has already taken the firm position that without this declaration ... NO CASH!
The Polish government, at least officially, does not intend to go for it and in Poland you can read in the press that there is no consent to it, and if the EU blocks money, Poland does not have to obey the "Fit to 55" directives
What you read in the article above is a consequence of this strange situation with the EU, which wants to use an essentially ecological program to take over the judiciary in Poland.
A bit complicated, I hope I made it quite clear :-)