The New Agreement Will Reduce The Baltic's Dependence On Energy Supplies From Russia

The New Agreement Will Reduce The Baltic's Dependence On Energy Supplies From Russia

On Friday morning, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, together with the leaders of the three Baltic countries and Poland, announced an agreement to provide 720 million euros to connect the Baltic energy network with Poland, reducing Estonia's energy dependence on supplies from Russia. Von der Leyen signed the agreement with Estonian Prime Minister Jüri Ratas, Lithuanian President Gitanas Naused, Latvian Prime Minister Krišjanis Kariňš and Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki. The leaders of the three Baltic countries and Poland are taking part in the two-day EU summit in Brussels. "We have taken a big step forward in connecting Europe and demonstrating our solidarity in action," von der Leyen said in a media report. She said that the funds allocated through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) would go to the infrastructure connecting the Baltic energy networks through Poland with the rest of Europe. Most of the financial resources are intended for the construction of a new connection across the Baltic Sea called the "Harmony link". "This project is a milestone and means the end of the isolation of the Baltic energy market," said the head of the European Commission alongside leaders from Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland. "It will reduce their over-dependence and over-reliance on just one source of energy imports," von der Leyen added, without mentioning Russia as a former energy supplier to the Baltics. The Baltic states have long warned that their dependence on Russian energy imports poses a threat to their national security. Efforts to disconnect the Baltic countries from electricity supplies from Russia and to connect with the rest of Europe have been known for several years. In the previous EU executive (2014-2019), this project was in charge of Slovak EU Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, who was responsible for building the energy union.