Europe Looks to End Reliance on Russian Gas

Europe will try to find its way to cut its reliance on Russian gas during the summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday, with little hope for a way out in the short-term. 

A draft document has been seen by several media outlets. It has been described as a mild document with little reference to the on-going situation in Crimea and the stand-off with Russia. Caution seems the word better depicting the document.

“Everyone recognizes a major change of pace is needed on the part of the European Union,” one EU official said on condition of anonymity to Reuters.

The UK has released a document with some proposals, advocating that the continent has two main ways to shore up its energy security. Firstly, it could step up its cooperation with the United States, increasing LNG imports from North America. Secondly, the continent could move closer to Iraq, finding solutions to ship Iraqi gas to Europe.