Business Insider (September 9)
“For the first time in decades, the western world is preparing for widespread and rolling energy shortages. The US, UK, and EU have all been squeezed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, soaring costs for electricity and fuel, and record-breaking heat waves. While fall is just around the corner, the worst of the energy strain is likely still to come.”
Tags: Costs, Electricity, Energy shortages, EU, Fuel, Heat waves, Invasion, Record breaking, Russia, Soaring, U.S., UK, Ukraine, Western world
Reuters (September 9)
“Drastic Russian cuts to gas supplies to Europe this year have turned Norway into the European Union’s main source of the fuel.” Norway is now “forecast to deliver nearly 90 billion cubic metres of gas to the EU this year, or nearly 25% of the bloc’s demand…. That’s higher than the 20% Russia will likely provide.”
Oil Price.com (September 6)
“The leadership of the European Union has been hard at work these days, trying to find a lasting solution to an energy crisis that is worsening by the day. Yet the way they are approaching the solution is unlikely to produce any lasting results…. It has been compared to a Ponzi scheme.”
Tags: Energy crisis, EU, Lasting, Leadership, Ponzi scheme, Produce, Results, Solution, Unlikely, Worsening
Foreign Affairs (September 2)
“Europe’s supposed commitment to seeing Russia held to account for its actions in Ukraine seems to be trumped by its undeniable energy needs.” An overfocus on symptoms and quick fixes obscures “the path toward energy security.” Absent “coordinated foreign policy—not fragmented individual national responses…. EU member states will find themselves constantly threading the needle between upholding their values and meeting the basic needs of their citizens, a precarious exercise that will hurt the European project itself.”
Tags: Basic needs, Citizens, Commitment, Energy needs, Energy security, EU, Europe, Foreign policy, Fragmented, National, Responses, Russia, Symptoms, Ukraine, Values
New York Times (June 1)
“While the United States of America seems to be coming apart, the United States of Europe — the 27 members of the European Union — have stunned everyone, and most of all themselves, by coming together to make a fist, along with a number of other European nations and NATO, to stymie Putin’s invasion.”
Wall Street Journal (March 31)
“China’s support for Russia is the most serious but far from only reason Europe is losing patience. Beijing has launched an economic war on EU member Lithuania over its upgraded ties to Taiwan. The Chinese Communist Party’s human-rights record remains abysmal. Bullying behavior during the Covid-19 pandemic and stonewalling of the origins investigation hurt China’s credibility. The question is what Europe will do beyond condemnations, token sanctions and the occasional lawsuit.”
Tags: CCP, China, Condemnations, COVID-19, Credibility, Economic war, EU, Europe, Human rights, Lawsuits, Lithuania, Russia, Stonewalling, Taiwan, Token sanctions
Wall Street Journal (March 3)
“How in the world did Europe leave itself so vulnerable to Vladimir Putin’s energy extortion?” Less than two decades ago, EU nations “produced more gas than Russia exported. Yet European production has plunged by more than half over the last decade” while Russia “happily filled the supply gap.”
Tags: Energy extortion, EU, Europe, Export, Gas, Plunged, Production, Putin, Russia, Supply gap, Vulnerable
CNBC (March 1)
“A run on Russian banks is underway.” In the wake of “unprecedented sanctions” imposed by the EU and U.S. for the invasion of Ukraine, the ruble “dropped dramatically in Monday’s trading. Lines at ATMs snaked down sidewalks and around buildings in Moscow and at Russian banks in Europe as depositors rushed to withdraw cash.”
Tags: ATMs, Banks, Depositors, EU, Invasion, Lines, Moscow, Ruble, Run, Russia, Sanctions, Trading, U.S., Ukraine, Unprecedented, Withdraw
The Guardian (February 28)
“Moscow is bracing for economic panic when markets open on Monday morning, with the value of the rouble expected to plummet at least 25% after the US and European Union announced unprecedented sanctions over the weekend.” The resulting economic turbulence “will mark a key moment when the gravity of the crisis in Ukraine hits home for many ordinary Russians.”
Tags: Bracing, Crisis, Economic panic, EU, Gravity, Markets, Moscow, Ordinary Russians, Plummet, Rouble, Sanctions, Turbulence, U.S., Ukraine, Unprecedented
New York Times (December 29)
UK companies got hit with “higher costs and endless forms” in the first post-Brexit year. “While the worst of the Brexit trade disruptions are over, British exports to the European Union are down and companies are frustrated.”
Tags: Brexit, Companies, Down, Endless forms, EU, Exports, Frustrated, Higher costs, Trade disruptions, UK
