Energy Council in Luxembourg Focused on Energy Security and Phase-out of Russian Energy
On 16 June, Minister of Energy Žygimantas Vaičiūnas attended the Energy Council of the European Union in Luxembourg to discuss the REPowerEU Action Plan, measures to strengthen energy security and cooperation between EU countries to ensure a sustainable energy supply system.
During the meeting, Member States expressed strong support for the REPowerEU Action Plan, highlighting the importance of infrastructure, the urgent need to shift away from Russian gas, focus on local production and diversification of supply. Lithuania stressed the need to adopt legislation as soon as possible to ensure the complete phase-out of Russian gas supplies.
“Since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine, our energy policy has not been just a question of economics or infrastructure. It is a question of security, solidarity and our principles. Partial reduction of our dependence on Russian energy is unsatisfactory. We need to be decisive—we need to cut off imports from Russia completely and permanently. As long as at least one Member State remains dependent, Russia can continue to hold us hostage. In 2024, the EU was still paying EUR 23 billion to Russia for energy. These are billions that directly finance Russia’s war against Ukraine. Every euro spent on Russian energy weakens our unity and discredits our support for Ukraine”, Energy Minister Vaičiūnas noted.
Lithuania expressed its support for the Presidency’s conclusions on strengthening the Energy Union by enhancing energy security and stressed that full independence from Russian energy remains a key pillar of the EU’s energy security. The conclusions prepared by Poland were supported by 25 out of 27 Member States.
“The EU needs to send a clear and united signal that our commitment to energy independence is strong and steady. There is an urgent need to ensure the protection and security of critical energy infrastructure, which is key to our competitiveness and resilience. However, legislation alone is not enough. Strong financial support from the EU is also needed. Investing in the protection, resilience and rapid recovery of energy infrastructure must be a top priority in the next Multiannual Financial Framework,” the Minister said.
Lithuania also joined a joint statement by Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Latvia and Portugal on the need to strengthen controls on biofuels imported from third countries to prevent fraud. “All measures must be taken to ensure fair competition on the European biofuels market,” Minister Vaičiūnas remarked.
During the Energy Council, Energy and Housing Commissioner Dan Jorgensen announced the creation of a dedicated high-level Task Force to address the issue of EU energy market integration. The Task Force will meet both regularly and as needed to respond rapidly to emerging challenges.
The meeting also presented the priorities for the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU in the field of energy, starting on 1 July.
The next meeting of the Energy Council of the European Union is scheduled for 20 October. The Energy Council will meet in Luxembourg on 20 October and in Brussels on 15 December.