EPP Prime Ministers: Energy Union Can Break Crisis and Strengthen EU

Heads of government from Christian democratic parties in more than fifteen EU countries believe that the European Union must push forward in the current energy crisis. Ahead of the two-day official EU summit in Brussels, EPP prime ministers called on the European Commission to seize the present moment and quickly move toward an Energy Union.

Such an Energy Union could well be the next important project for deepening European integration, they said in a joint statement.

According to them, the EU has shown that EU leaders can jointly make difficult decisions in challenging times, as recently seen during the COVID pandemic and in the sanctions against Russia. In the current energy crisis, the EU countries cannot choose the “go it alone” approach this time.

The EPP politicians point out in their statement that ‘energy’ was the foundation of the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the distant predecessor of today’s EU. Today, energy could once again become the focal point of our collective efforts for more Europe, they said.

Furthermore, non-EU countries such as Serbia and Turkey must join EU sanctions against Russia and must stop supporting Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The EPP prime ministers urged all European countries to approve the admission of Croatia, Bulgaria, and Romania to the Schengen Area, since all three countries meet the required criteria. As far as is known, Dutch Prime Minister Rutte is the only one opposing Romania’s accession.