Finance Minister Brunner doubts that the EU Commission’s plans to replace two-thirds of Russian gas this year can be implemented. Which in turn explains that Austria should save even more.
The European Commission’s plan, presented last week with a great deal of PR fanfare, according to which the member states of the Union could replace two-thirds of Russian natural gas imports this year, is encountering more and more practical obstacles.
Finance Minister Magnus Brunner (ÖVP) sharply criticized the Commission’s arguments on Monday before the start of the Eurogroup meeting. “It doesn’t seem very realistic to me,” Brunner said at a press conference. This quick move away from Russian gas is “very difficult because there are no specific goals” in the Commission’s written communication of Tuesday last week.