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A30 world news
Diahuebs 16 Juni 2022

Russia again cuts natural gas exports thru European pipeline

(AP) — Russia's Gazprom Europe is working to reduce EU sanctions.
announced a reduction in its dependence on Russian
natural gas flows through energy as the war worsens He said officials are in con-
a key European pipeline rising oil and gas prices that tact with Canada to check
for the second day in a are fueling record inflation. what is possible under Otta-
row Wednesday, creating Gas demand has fallen after wa's sanctions. But he added
further energy turmoil for the end of the winter heating that, as far as German offi-
Europe as it tries to reduce season, but European utili- cials know, the first "relevant"
its extensive use of Rus- ties are racing to refill storage maintenance session isn't due
sian oil and natural gas ahead of next winte r with until the fall, and because
amid the war in Ukraine. prices high and supplies un- there are several such instal-
certain. lations, that wouldn't explain
The state-owned energy giant a 40% reduction.
said on Twitter that deliveries Siemens Energy said a gas
through the Nord Stream 1 turbine that powers a com- He said there's no supply
pipeline to Germany would pressor station on the Nord problem in Germany, which
be cut again Thursday, bring- Stream 1 pipeline had been in gets about 35% of its natu-
ing the overall reduction Gazprom said it would re- is simply an excuse." service for more than 10 years ral gas from Russia, and it
through the undersea pipe- duce flows by 40% after Ca- "Obviously, the strategy is to and was taken to Montreal should be able to keep filling
line to 60%. nadian sanctions over the war unsettle people and push up for a scheduled overhaul. But up reserves. Habeck said the
prevented German partner prices," Habeck said. because of sanctions imposed missing gas can be obtained
The drop in shipments of gas Siemens Energy from deliv- The reason for the reduction by Canada, the company has on the market but the price
used to power industry and ering overhauled equipment. has not been made clear, and been unable to return the will be higher.
generate electricity would It blamed the same issue for the Italian company said it equipment to Gazprom.
amount to some 16 billion the additional reduction. was monitoring the situation. The EU has outlined plans
cubic meters by the end of Habeck, who is also Ger- to reduce its dependence on
the year, or around 10% of But German Vice Chancellor The reduced flows to two of many's economy minister Russian gas by two-thirds by
total European Union gas Robert Habeck said Wednes- Europe's biggest importers and responsible for energy, year's end. Economists say a
imports from Russia, accord- day that Gazprom's initial of Russian natural gas follow told reporters in Berlin that complete cutoff would deal a
ing to Simone Tagliapietra, move appeared to be political Russia's previous halt of gas he had established with the severe blow to the economy,
an energy policy expert at the rather than a result of techni- supplies to Bulgaria, Poland, EU's executive Commission consumers and gas-intensive
Bruegel think tank in Brus- cal problems. He said the new Finland, the Netherlands and that the maintenance of Sie- industries. The 27-nation
sels. developments "clearly show Denmark. mens compressor stations on bloc is already reeling from
The new cut came a day after the Russian side's explanation the pipeline isn't subject to high inflation this year.

EU sues UK over move to rewrite post-Brexit trade rules

(AP) — The European Kingdom. were imposed in order to being treated differently to those talks. The EU Com-
Union sued Britain on The EU has decried Britain's keep that border open be- the rest of the U.K." mission added that if the
Wednesday over its move effort to rip up part of the cause that is a key pillar of the While there are serious dis- British government does not
to rewrite the trade rules deal. peace process that ended de- agreements between the two reply within two months, it
agreed to when the coun- cades of violence in North- sides, the events of this week will consider taking the U.K.
try left the EU two years "Let's call a spade a spade: ern Ireland. also reflect maneuvering as to the European Court of
ago, ratcheting up ten- This is illegal," European each tries to wrangle the best Justice.
sions between the major Commission Vice President But British unionists in deal from the other. "There have been only new
economic partners. Maroš Šefčovič told a news Northern Ireland say the and new demands coming
conference in Brussels on new checks have put a bur- The legislation the British from the U.K. government,"
Earlier this week, British Wednesday. den on businesses and frayed government proposed will Šefčovič said.
Prime Minister Boris John- the bonds between the re- take months to wind its way The EU also opened two
son's government proposed The EU's decision to pursue gion and the rest of the U.K. through Parliament, and offi- other legal actions that accuse
legislation that would re- legal action raises the possi- The rules have also led to cials appear to be hoping they the U.K. of ignoring two
move customs checks on bility that either or both sides a political crisis in North- will get a new deal with the other parts of the post-Brexit
some goods entering North- could impose punishing tar- ern Ireland, where the main EU in the meantime. agreement.
ern Ireland from the rest of iffs on the other. Šefčovič re- unionist party blocked the That seems unlikely. Offi-
the U.K. Those checks were fused to rule out such a move formation of a new power- cials in the EU and member The U.K. government said
imposed as part of a hard- Wednesday. But the prospect sharing government in Bel- country governments are its proposed measures ease
fought compromise when of trade war still seemed a fast, saying it won't take part incensed at what they see as the burden on businesses
Britain left the EU and its distant possibility since both until the Brexit trade rules the U.K.'s intention to break and customers, including
borderless free-trade zone would suffer and have said are scrapped. international law. Johnson's by reducing paperwork for
— but have caused both eco- they want to find a solution government insists its uni- goods coming from Britain
nomic and political problems outside of the courts. Šefčovič, the EU commis- lateral move is lawful, but into Northern Ireland and
in Northern Ireland, where According to the latest EU sion official, said he's willing many lawyers and lawmakers that are staying there. Goods
some say they undermine the figures, the 27-nation bloc to keep talks going with the — including some in his gov- continuing on to Ireland or
region's place in the United is the U.K.'s biggest trading U.K. — but insisted solu- erning Conservative Party — elsewhere in the EU would
partner, while the U.K. is the tions should be found within disagree. continue to be checked at
EU's third-biggest trading af- the original agreement, called The so-called infringement Northern Ireland ports.
ter the U.S. and China. the Northern Ireland Proto- procedure that the EU re- Šefčovič said the EU would
col. newed Wednesday likewise flesh out proposals made
At the heart of the dispute The British government will take months to unfold. previously for facilitating the
— and the whole reason a called the EU's move "disap- The action was originally movement of goods from
compromise was needed in pointing." launched against the U.K. Britain to Northern Ireland
the first place — are concerns It added that it had to act government last year but was while drastically reducing
about stability in Northern because the protocol was put on hold in as both parties paperwork. But the EU wor-
Ireland, which is the only undermining Northern Ire- tried to find a solution. ries lax border checks are let-
part of the U.K. that shares a land's peace accord by "dis- ting smuggled goods enter
border with an EU country, rupting trade and leading to The EU says it reopened the Ireland, a threat to the bloc's
namely Ireland. The checks people in Northern Ireland case out of frustration with borderless single market.