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PRAGUE — It was all smiles, small speak and extended handshakes as dozens of worldwide leaders gathered in Prague for the inaugural European Political Neighborhood assembly on Thursday — however already, a row was brewing over tips on how to deal with the vitality disaster enveloping the Continent.
The gathering, which introduced collectively over 40 European leaders, is supposed as a present of solidarity within the face of Russia’s battle in Ukraine.
However it additionally got here a day forward of a gathering of the 27 EU nations, who’re slated to have an energy-focused assembly on Friday after their non-EU counterparts depart. And it was clear that Thursday’s glad-handing might solely final so lengthy, given the tough points going through the leaders.
French President Emmanuel Macron, the de facto host of Thursday’s gathering, was direct in dismissing a key vitality mission a few of his personal neighbors argue will assist the EU’s vitality issues — a large gasoline pipeline connecting Spain with Germany and the remainder of Europe.
Arriving on the summit, Macron forged doubt on the relevance of constructing the so-called MidCat pipeline, which might assist ship gasoline from the Iberian Peninsula by way of France to Germany and past. He informed reporters it might take “5 to eight years” to construct and argued that the present pipelines are solely getting used between 50 and 60 p.c anyway.
“I believe that our precedence is to have electrical energy interconnections in Europe and I’m extra favorable to these tasks,” mentioned Macron, an implicit put-down of the gas-focused MidCat mission.
The crack within the grins and paeans for unity displays the continuing problem for each the EU and Europe as Russia’s battle in Ukraine drags via its eighth month. Whereas nations doggedly wish to protect a united entrance towards Russia, the Continent’s divergent concepts about tips on how to deal with the escalating vitality disaster are making that more and more tough.
On Thursday, the French president made the case that Europe’s vitality future must be based mostly on renewable and nuclear energy, one in every of France’s most important vitality belongings.
“Will we wish to develop into massive gasoline importers in the long run?” he requested.
However Germany is strongly pushing the MidCat deal, with Chancellor Olaf Scholz flying to Spain on Wednesday to debate the mission and different vitality issues with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on the eve of the Prague gathering.
“MidCat might join the Iberian Peninsula and Central Europe for the long run transport of hydrogen. I’m expressly advocating that we create this connection,” Scholz informed reporters following the Spanish-German talks.
Scholz had sought to strike a cautiously optimistic tone, saying that Berlin and Madrid needed to construct the pipeline “in friendship and cooperation with France, and we do not have the impression that that’s out of the query.” The Germans say the pipeline could possibly be finalized inside 9 months and energetic subsequent yr.
Spain, too, sees the pipeline as a possibility to export to promote its personal inexperienced hydrogen to Northern Europe.
Talking alongside Scholz in A Coruña, Sánchez mentioned that “now we have a gasification capability in Spain that we wish to make out there to Europe. However the paradox is that we’re an vitality island as a result of we don’t have these interconnectors.”
Tackling Europe’s rising vitality prices and diversifying away from Russian vitality sources is a central theme of Thursday’s gathering of the European Political Neighborhood — a discussion board that goals to deliver nations with shared pursuits nearer collectively.
The leaders are assembly within the historic environment of Prague Fort, overlooking the central European metropolis capital.
Because the gathering started, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the group by video hyperlink. He referred to as the format “an especially highly effective alternative to revive peace in Europe.”
“Right here and now, I urge you to make a primary resolution — a choice in regards to the goal for this group of ours, for this format of ours,” he mentioned. “We, the leaders of Europe, can develop into the leaders of peace. Our European political group can develop into a European group of peace.”
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal is attending the discussion board in individual, as are leaders from throughout the area, together with British Prime Minister Liz Truss and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
European Fee President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel are additionally in attendance, with von der Leyen attributable to maintain a bilateral assembly with Truss.
Talking as he arrived on the summit, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte praised Britain’s assist for Ukraine for the reason that begin of Russia’s battle, describing the U.Ok. as an essential companion — a notable praise given the regularly testy U.Ok.-EU relationship since Brexit.
“The U.Ok is likely one of the greatest economies on the earth,” he mentioned. “The U.Ok. is offering management during the last six months, 9 months. Because the Russian aggression towards Ukraine, it was the U.Ok. main the way in which.”
Eire’s chief Micheál Martin additionally mentioned he didn’t envisage the difficulty of the Northern Eire protocol — an unresolved side of the Brexit settlement — to characteristic throughout Thursday’s assembly, noting that it was essential “to create house” for technical discussions which have began this week between Brussels and London.
“I do suppose there’s good religion on all sides,” he mentioned, signaling optimism in regards to the prospect of a breakthrough on the preparations for Northern Eire.
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