In light of the worsening energy crises, EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra has said the EU must step up its transition to alternative energy sources in the European Union.
"That means more electrification, more renewables, more heat pumps, more interconnectors between our member states, more nuclear," Hoskstra said on Euronews' interview programme The Europe Conversation. "That whole mix is needed."
Starting with the oil crises in the 1970s, Europe has demonstrated its vulnerability given the scarcity of energy sources on the continent, according to Hoekstra.
"The lesson is also that, after every previous crisis, we actually should have been more radical, we should have been more forward-leaning. And that is what we need to do now," the Commissioner said.
"We truly are at the mercy of others. And of course it was smart to get rid of Russian gas. But we replaced that with maybe a bit more renewables, but also by dependency on American LNG, Qatari LNG and LNG from others. Is that a completely safe bet? Well, I guess we have second thoughts about that, right?"
