World
EU platform to pool gas demand seeing ‘remarkable success’ – Brussels
Suppliers who took part in the first tender round offered more than 13.4 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas, higher than the 11.4 bcm requested by buyers. But the price is not yet known.
The first tender process from the EU’s joint gas purchase platform has been a “remarkable success” with energy-vulnerable countries having nearly all of their needs met, the European Commission said on Tuesday.
Energy companies across the bloc and other participating countries — Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and Western Balkan states — had by last week put in bids of 11.6 billion cubic metres (bcm) on the AggregateEU platform.
Suppliers responded to the aggregate demand by offering a total volume of more than 13.4 bcm, Commission Vice-President for Interinstitutional Relations Maroš Šefčovič told reporters.
“This is nothing short of a remarkable success. It shows that we were right to pool our demand, to use Europe’s collective pulling power, and to work together to fill our gas storages for next winter,” he added.
The overall volume that has actually been matched to customer demands represents 10.9 bcm. About a fifth of this is for liquified natural gas (LNG), which is delivered by ships to terminals located primarily on the Iberian peninsula and on the North Sea, with the remaining 80% requested via pipeline.
Matching in the most vulnerable countries “is particularly positive,” Šefčovič said with requests by Bulgaria and Ukraine fully met while 80% of Moldova’s requested volumes have been matched.
Buying and selling companies will now start the negotiating process outside of the platform, with the first deliveries tabled for late June, early July. The Commission wouldn’t, however, comment on price, arguing it is not involved in the talks.
Prices for gas are currently hovering between €30-€35 per megawatt-hour, well below the record highs of over €300 per megawatt-hour observed over the summer, but nearly ten times higher than pre-pandemic levels.
“Of course, our overall goal here is that we do our utmost to make sure that people have adequate supplies of gas to prevent any shortages or any scarcity as we have seen it in the last year. And with this new instrument that we are bringing new players to the market, we believe that we are also contributing to the tendency which we see now on the gas market, which is clearly demonstrating that the prices are getting lower and they are more competitive for the European customers,” Šefčovič said in response to a Euronews question.
The EU official nonetheless said that despite the first tender round’s positive outcome, there was no time for complacency.
“We still have war raging on in Ukraine. We still have to remember hard lessons we learned the last year. We have to work to make sure that our energy security will be much stronger than the last year. And we cannot be satisfied with the level of energy prices across Europe.
“Our work continues and therefore we will proceed with further intensive outreach to all potential suppliers from all over the world to make sure they will be well prepared for the next winter. And we will secure adequate supplies of gas to make sure that our energy-intensive companies can benefit from better prices and they can start to get their production back to their pre-war levels, because we shouldn’t forget that still, because of the energy prices level, they are not performing at 100%,” he added.
There are currently 110 companies subscribed to the platform.
AggregateEU plans to launch four more rounds of tendering before the end of the year with the second one planned for the second half of June.
World
Slovakia's prime minister expected to survive assassination attempt as shock reverberates across Europe
Slovakia’s prime minister is expected to survive after he was shot multiple times and gravely wounded during an attempted assassination on Wednesday, according to his deputy.
Doctors fought for several hours to save Prime Minister Robert Fico’s life after he was shot in the abdomen while he was greeting supporters at an event outside a cultural center in the town of Handlova, Defense Minister Robert Kalina told reporters.
“I guess in the end he will survive,” Deputy Prime Minister Tomas Taraba told the BBC, adding: “He’s not in a life-threatening situation at this moment.”
A suspect was swiftly arrested following the attack Wednesday and an initial investigation found “a clear political motivation,” Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said.
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The 59-year-old’s attempted assassination just weeks before an election shocked the small country and reverberated concern across Europe.
“A physical attack on the prime minister is, first of all, an attack on a person, but it is also an attack on democracy,” said outgoing President Zuzana Caputova, Fico’s political rival. “Any violence is unacceptable. The hateful rhetoric we’ve been witnessing in society leads to hateful actions. Please, let’s stop it.”
President-elect Peter Pellegrini, an ally of Fico, called the shooting “an unprecedented threat to Slovak democracy. If we express other political opinions with pistols in squares, and not in polling stations, we are jeopardizing everything that we have built together over 31 years of Slovak sovereignty.”
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also denounced the violence.
“Every effort should be made to ensure that violence does not become the norm in any country, form or sphere,” he said.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala chimed in with other world leaders and wished the prime minister a swift recovery, saying “we cannot tolerate violence, there’s no place for it in society.”
The Czech Republic and Slovakia formed Czechoslovakia until 1992.
Fico, a divisive figure in Slovakia, returned to power last year after campaigning on a pro-Russian, anti-American platform.
At the time, European Union members expressed worry that he could potentially lead Slovakia – a nation of 5.4 million that belongs to NATO – to abandon its pro-Western course.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
World
Slovakia PM Robert Fico in ‘very serious’ condition after being shot
Deputy PM Kalinak says Fico is stable post-surgery after being shot five times in an attempted assassination.
Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico is stable but his condition remains “very serious”, his deputy has said, after an assassination attempt that shocked the country and drew global condemnation.
Fico, 59, was shot five times in the central town of Handlova on Wednesday. He was in critical condition and underwent several hours of emergency surgery.
“During the night, doctors managed to stabilise the patient’s condition,” Deputy Prime Minister Robert Kalinak said on Thursday.
“Unfortunately, the condition is still very serious as the injuries are complicated,” said Kalinak, who is also the defence minister.
A state security council meeting is scheduled for Thursday following the attack. The alleged attacker, a 71-year-old writer, was taken into custody.
Environment Minister Tomas Taraba told the BBC on Thursday that the operation had “gone well”. He said one bullet went through Fico’s stomach, and the second hit a joint during the attack after Fico left a government meeting.
The shooting was “politically motivated”, Interior Minister Matus Sutaj Estok said on Wednesday.
“This assassination [attempt] was politically motivated, and the perpetrator’s decision was born closely after the presidential election,” Sutaj Estok said, referring to an April election won by Fico’s ally, Peter Pellegrini.
Pellegrini described the attack as an “unprecedented threat to Slovak democracy”.
“If we express other political opinions in squares, and not in polling stations, we are jeopardising everything that we have built together over 31 years of Slovak sovereignty,” Pellegrini said.
Following the attack, Fico was rushed to a hospital in Handlova but was transferred by helicopter to the regional capital, Banska Bystrica, for urgent treatment.
Russia said it considered the attack “absolutely unacceptable”.
“This is really a great tragedy,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
Fico’s European counterparts, including Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, condemned the shooting and wished him a complete recovery.
The country of 5.4 million has seen polarised political debate in recent years, including last year’s presidential election that helped Fico tighten his grip on power.
Since returning as prime minister last October, his government has scaled back support for Ukraine while opening up dialogue with Russia, looked to lessen punishments for corruption, and is revamping the RTVS public broadcaster despite a call to protect media freedoms.
World
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